Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps
by Vanessa Riverton
Summary: Haruka helps to teach ballroom in her school's dance club. The Winter Comps are in two months. Michiru joins the club, and causes Haruka to make a very hard choice... COM-FREAKING-PLETE!
1. First Impressions

**A/N: I'm back! With a new fic... Hope you enjoy it... Disclaimer : I don't own Sailor Moon or any of the characters or any of the songs featured in this fic (this is the onyl disclaimer I'm doing that stands for all the chapters), I do however, own the plot and crappy one-liners! w00t!

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**CHAPTER 1 – FIRST IMPRESSIONS**

"Well, we're sure that Michiru will be a welcome addition to our school, her talents are extraordinary... It's only a matter of time before she is offered a recording contract I am sure… simply astounding. She will fit in here very nicely. We have many prominent students who I'm sure will be just the right influence for Michiru." The principal kept his eyes fixed on the newest gem to the treasure box he knows as Mugen Gakuen; Michiru Kaioh. She's the talk of the arts world, a sophisticated and demure artiste in every sense of the word. Her skills as a violinist are second to none and her paintings are sought after by all.

"Thank you, Hisagi-san. We too hope Michiru will enjoy all the benefits an excellent establishment such as Mugen can offer her." Michiru's mother always spoke with such elegance that it was only natural the aqua-haired beauty picked up on her etiquette.

"Let me take you to your homeroom, Miss Kaioh... lessons start in five minutes."

Michiru and her parents stood and said their goodbyes to the principal. Michiru was guided by the principal to her homeroom as her parents left the school. The principal hummed happily as Michiru gracefully followed the man, her violin case and her school bag both held in her hands in front of her body. The principal stopped in front of 2-B and he knocked on the door before opening it. The principal cleared his throat and caught everyone's attention,

"Good morning 2-B. I am here to introduce the newest member to your class. This is Michiru Kaioh. Please make her feel welcome." Michiru bowed almost as if on cue. The teacher bowed respectfully back to the young woman.

"Please Kaioh-sama, take a seat...oh, there's an empty one next to Tenoh-kun." Michiru's gaze followed that of her sensei to a seat next to... a what? It looked like a mass of blond hair on the table, with the person's forearms covering their face... clearly a poor attempt to cover up being asleep in class. Michiru smiled politely and walked over to the table, and before she set down her bag and case she grinned devilishly and semi-slammed her bag onto the table, causing the sleeping figure to instantly rouse from their sleep.

Michiru was awed by the beauty of the breathtakingly gorgeous man before her. His blond hair was short, but his bangs were long, partially covering his intense teal eyes and the most beautiful features Michiru had ever seen on a man before in her entire life. The young man looked up, searching for the disrupter of his sleep and his eyes locked with the violinist. At first he scowled deeply, but after taking in the girls features, he smiled and Michiru could feel her face blushing,

" Tenoh-kun, if you insist on sleeping in my class, at least be so decent as to not get caught." The boy didn't even look away from Michiru, instead he grinned wider,

"If this is the sight that greets me every time, I'd be more than glad to get caught." Michiru sat down instantly trying to hide her blushing cheeks. The principal sighed and spoke aloud,

"Tenoh-kun, come to my office after lessons... this is the tenth time this year you've been caught and it's only been a month back at school!" The blond haired boy finally returned to his scowl,

"Nani? Detention?" He exhaled deeply and slumped back in his chair, clearly pissed off. The principal left and the sensei continued with the lesson. Michiru turned to look at the boy she knew as Tenoh-kun. As she did, she could see he was staring at her intently, then a huge grin took over his face, Michiru turned away instantly, but a second later could feel hot breath near her ear. She daren't move, for fear of seeing those eyes again. Then she heard him speak. It wasn't low, but it was husky,

"See something you like?" Michiru's eyes widened. How could this boy so arrogant?! To be so presumptuous. Michiru kept her cool as she looked down at Tenoh-kun,

"I see someone annoying... that's for sure." The blond looked taken back, but then grinned further. The teacher continued with the lesson and the blond leaned forward again,

"I'm Haruka Tenoh." The aqua-haired girl turned to face the blond,

"And I'm not interested." The blond cocked an eyebrow then smirked,

"Yet." Michiru turned to face the blond,

"No, never... I'm sorry Tenoh-kun, but you don't interest me." How was she supposed to let him down? Tell him straight up that she wasn't interested in boys? No, it was better to just ignore him,

"I bet I do... everyone has an interest in me. In fact, I bet that by the end of the day, I can have you screaming my name." Michiru turned around, completely shocked at the blonde's behaviour,

"Haruka, right?" Haruka nodded and Michiru continued, "I've known you for all of a minute, and you've come onto me... have you no shame?"

"Nope."

"You are very annoying, Tenoh-kun." With that Michiru turned around. The blond linked his hands and leaned back in his chair.

After three hours in homeroom, it was time for lunch and as Haruka was leaving the lesson, a black haired boy stopped him,

"Hey Mamoru." The boy grinned and looked at him,

"Hey, cuz... What you doing at lunch?" Haruka raised an eyebrow,

"What do you think? I'll be at the club, seeing as how the motor sports season is over." Mamoru was about to speak when a flash of aqua passed him,

"Whoa... who is that?" Haruka looked over to Michiru, who stopped at hearing Mamoru,

"That? That's my biggest fan. She's into me, had her hands all over my in class, but I had to let her down gently." Mamoru laughed a little at his cousin's joke, but Michiru could feel herself getting angry. This blond was really getting on her nerves. He had the audacity to say something like that? After she let him down? The absolute nerve!

"TENOH! How dare you!" Michiru screeched to him from the other side of the corridor. The blond smiled smugly and said nothing, but then laughed gently,

"What is so funny?!" The blond walked towards her, Mamoru behind him,

"I told you I'd have you screaming my name. Later." The blond grinned, once more angering Michiru, who then let out a sigh of frustration as he walked off. Before Michiru could do anything, a hand was felt on her shoulder. She turned ready to instantly let out all her anger on the person, only to find a small black haired girl with startling purple eyes, staring straight at her, a look of slight fear in her eyes, almost as though she thought that Michiru was going to hit her for touching her.

"I-I'm sorry." Michiru frowned in confusion at the girl's words.

"Why are you sorry? You haven't done anything wrong." The girl smiled nervously,

"I know... I wanted to apologise for Haruka... he... he doesn't mean it." Michiru looked at the girl in suspicion, she carried on talking, "He does that to all the girls... it's his way of getting to know you."

"Well, be so kind as to tell Tenoh-kun I have no interest in getting to know him." The young girl nodded slowly, and Michiru felt a little sorry for her, she seemed so timid, "What's your name?" The girl instantly beamed and smiled, she bowed to Michiru,

"I'm Hotaru Tomoe." Michiru bowed to Hotaru,

"Michiru Kaioh." Hotaru smiled,

"We have lunch now... would you like to join me and my friends?" Michiru thought for a moment… what was the harm? She knew no-one and Hotaru seemed like a nice enough girl and she had to make friends right? She was stuck at this school till graduation in two years time,

"Sure. I'd like that." Hotaru smiled and led Michiru to the cafeteria, as they entered, Michiru could see how wealthy the school was. The entire hall had this feeling of superiority, nothing like she had ever known. Hotaru sat down at a table where there were six girls. Hotaru cleared her throat,

"Um, everyone this is Michiru... she's new to the school." A blue haired girl stood up and smiled,

"Welcome to Mugen, Michiru, I'm Ami Mizuno. Nice to meet you." Michiru nodded politely,

"I'm Makoto Kino, how you finding it?" The brunette tomboy caught Michiru's attention and Michiru blushed slightly,

"It's fine so far... Apart from that idiot in my homeroom." Hotaru smiled nervously again, then a blond girl with a red ribbon in her hair leapt from her chair,

"Nani? An idiot? It must be a boy... who is he?" Another blond girl, with hair in the style of a rabbit also started getting interested and literally clamoured over the first blond girl,

"Hai! Tell us his name! We will find him and – " A raven haired girl then smacked the blonds playfully on the head,

"Minako! Usagi! Give the girl some space to breathe!" The raven haired girl looked at Michiru and bowed respectfully, "I'm Hino. Rei Hino." Hotaru cleared her throat,

"It was Haruka." The girls all instantly sweat-dropped, then began to nervously laugh. The blond that Michiru thought to be Minako laughed quite amusedly,

"What did Haruka do this time?" Hotaru shrugged and looked at Michiru who blushed furiously again, then sat in the empty seat in front of her,

"He told me he could make me scream his name by the end of the day... he's such a baka." A girl at the end of the table, with a tanned skin and dark green, waist length hair sighed,

"Yes, Haruka doesn't quite know when to stop." Michiru looked at her and the green haired girl looked up, "I'm Setsuna Meioh, senior." Michiru almost choked,

"An upperclassmen?" Setsuna nodded and Hotaru explained,

"Setsuna has been a close friend to all of us for years. Upperclassmen or not... that's never bothered her... we all know each other through Haruka." Michiru looked at Hotaru,

"You all know Haruka?" Before anyone could respond, Michiru heard _his_ hearty laughter... hearty, husky laughter from behind her.

"Can't help but talk about me, huh? I knew it." Michiru didn't need to turn around, Haruka sat next to her, with his lunch in front of her, Michiru spoke up, annoyed,

"What are you doing? Sitting with a bunch of girls." There was a snickering from Makoto which was silenced with a glare from Haruka.

"This is my fan club... glad to see you joined." Haruka winked at Michiru who simply turned away. Haruka looked over at Setsuna,

"Hey, babe." Setsuna raised an eyebrow, then spoke playfully to the blonde,

"I told you no, Tenoh." Haruka laughed then dramatically clutched his heart,

"Ah, heartbreak... it hurts... I wish you would give in to your desires, Sets." Usagi then spoke up,

"Where's Mamo-chan, Haruka-kun?" Haruka shrugged,

"Since the club was cancelled for lunch, he said he was going to the library to catch up on work." Minako looked at the blond then blushed a little,

"H-h-have you found a partner for the class yet, Haruka-san?" Michiru looked a little shocked at the blond but no-one in the group seemed shocked,

"Alas no Mina-chan... it seems as though there are no women brave enough to dance with me in the classroom." Wait a minute, dance? Did Haruka say dance?

"Dance? What are you – " Haruka didn't let her finish, as he was now leaning over to Minako and was talking in a very flirtatious mood,

"I don't blame them of course... I mean, dancing is a very close contact activity... and with a pretty young girl in a dress like the ones in dancing... it would take great courage to allow me near them... what with such a temptation." Minako seemed to go as red as a tomato and Haruka grinned before winking at her, turning Minako into a puddle of smitten ooze.

"I w-w-would d-d-dance with you, Haruka-san." Haruka grinned then put her arm around Hotaru,

"You're stuttering worse than my little hime-chan, Mina-chan!" Hotaru began sputtering,

"I-I-I d-don't st-st-st... oh for kami's sake!" Haruka grinned. Michiru was still in shock,

"You're talking about dancing partners?" Haruka glanced down at Michiru, an eyebrow raised in interest,

"Hai." Haruka continued to eat her lunch. Setsuna sighed, clearly disapproving of Haruka's rudeness.

"You see, Michiru-san... at this school we have a dance program that runs when it's off season for the other sports... and it has become very popular with the girls but not many boys... however, no-one can manage to keep up with Haruka." Michiru seemed shocked,

"What kind of dancing is it?" This time Haruka spoke, with a slight glint of mischief in her eye,

"We do classic ballroom and latin mainly... some contemporary... depends on what the sensei wants to teach us. And it seems that Mina-chan would like to be my dance partner, so now all my searching is over... Minako meet me at the club after school, we'll try out your waltz, okay?" Minako began to nod like a mad woman while hiding her face. Michiru cleared her throat and Haruka casually glanced at her,

"Mhmm?" Michiru looked at him. He was the most rude person she had ever met, that was for sure.

"Where is the dance club?" Haruka raised both eyebrows in interest and shock,

"Whyyyyyyyy?" The blond used the most annoying voice he had and Michiru closed her eyes, not allowing the tone to get to her,

"Because I would like to come along... see if I like it." There was a silence, as they all looked at Haruka for her response,

"Sure, come along to the gym. At half past three." Haruka grinned before standing up,

"Usagi-chan, Mamoru said to meet him by his locker before the club starts." Haruka stood up to leave the group, then Minako smiled slyly before whistling,

"Oi, Haruka-san... Elza told me to tell you... she can't wait to get her hands on you when she recovers." Haruka turned a bright red before regaining her cool,

" Women... you all just conspire against me."

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**A/N 2 - If you've made it this far, R&R please! Arigatou!**


	2. What You Lack

**Disclaimer :**** Funnily enough I still don't own Sailor Moon or any of its characters. I don't own any of the songs either. sad face**

_Italics_ are the song lyrics...

**A/N - If you've never heard of this song then shame on you! Oh and there is a reason that Haruka is referred to by masculine terms for now, but that'll all be answered shortly... This a bit of an earlier update as I seemed to have a good night of writing last night. Enjoy!

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**CHAPTER 2 – WHAT YOU LACK**

All day one thing had been on her mind... Haruka dancing. Well, not just that but how she would also show Haruka what real dancing is. It was perfect. The swimming season was over for the school year and the orchestra were on rest too for another three months, till January. And so here she was, standing by the gym at half past three.

"Oh God, I can't do this." The aqua haired beauty turned around only to be confronted with Hotaru and her friends... and three other boys too.

"Michiru-san!" Hotaru ran to the older girls side and smiled widely at her,

"Hotaru, hey. Why are you – " Michiru couldn't even finish her sentence,

"We're here for the club, remember, Michiru-san?" Minako spoke up and Michiru couldn't help but notice that Minako was dressed in a knee length yellow dress, with straps at the top. It was a little revealing but overall modest. Makoto stepped forward,

"So, what are you looking forward to doing today, Michiru-san? Do you know any dances?" Michiru could feel her eyes being drawn to Makoto and the blush appearing on her cheeks again. This didn't go unnoticed by Makoto who grinned slightly. There was a cough behind her, and the bluenette that Michiru recognized to be Ami ha a scowl on her face, Makoto instantly grinned like a fool and stepped back. Ami looked away from her and Rei laughed gently,

"We should go in. Haruka will get all pissy if we're late... again." Rei threw a glare to Usagi as she said the last part of the sentence. Rei lead the way with Minako into the gym, where they found Haruka with Setsuna. Haruka was dressed in black pants, with black leather shoes, but had a white t-shirt on with a white dress shirt buttoned over the top. They were already dancing to some loud music, but stopped the second they heard the door open. Setsuna giggled innocently as Haruka ran a hand through his blond hair.

"About time you showed up, we were getting bored." Setsuna glared at Haruka and Rei laughed again,

"We bet... how bored must you have been if you were dancing like you were having s–"

"Rei!" Ami screeched loudly. Before anyone could say anything further, Haruka had her eyes locked with the one of the three boys Michiru had yet to be introduced to. Haruka stood with her arms folded and looked directly at the boy behind her. Michiru turned and saw he had long dark black hair in a ponytail and a smirk so arrogant it could only contend with the blonde.

"Seiya... you decided to come back." Seiya scoffed and looked over to Haruka,

"You can't keep me out of here." Haruka scoffed and walked away from him,

"Sensei can't run the club, he has an errand to do... so Setsuna-sempai will be running it today." There seemed to be a huge sigh of relief. Then Haruka caught Michiru's gaze and smiled. 'So cocky' Michiru thought to herself.

"Well, it seems we have a new addition, Sets." Setsuna threw a glare to Haruka.

"Michiru, welcome to the club. Are you planning to just watch or take part?" Setsuna seemed so friendly in comparison to Haruka who seemed to be out just to embarrass the blue-haired girl.

"Both." Haruka raised both his eyebrows in intrigue at this. Before he could say anymore Minako jumped in front of the blonde,

"Haruka-san! Are you ready for our dance?" Haruka looked down at the girl and nodded.

"Sets, the music?" Setsuna walked over to the CD player and turned the music on for their waltz, and a gentle melody began playing "Memories", and soon Haruka's hand found its way around Minako's waist, causing the young girl to blush and falter on her very first step and take a heel lead instead of a toe lead. Haruka smirked and whispered into her ear,

"Don't worry, relax." Minako nodded and continued to dance.

Michiru was in awe, standing in the classroom, seeing this arrogant blond, dancing the waltz like a professional, making no errors and even though Minako made a few minor errors, no-one would have been able to tell due to Haruka's immaculate set of steps, the dance was that mesmerising.

After a few minutes, Haruka finished the dance and bowed to Minako. Minako curtsied and blushed,

"Thank you, princess." Haruka was quite charming in this setting and even kissed Minako's hand. Haruka turned to the group,

"I think Minako will make a suiting partner... for Latin... not ballroom, I'm sorry Mina-chan." Haruka sounded quite sad but Minako was still in a daze and merely nodded. Setsuna spoke up,

"We have a competition to compete in. Couples only. At the winter dance, we'll be up against five other schools... latin and ballroom only. The sign up deadline is one week from today." Haruka grinned and ran another hand through the short blond hair, Haruka spoke with a juvenile playfulness,

"Setsuna-chan, will you be my partner?" Setsuna shook her head at Haruka, and spoke just as playfully,

"Haru-chan, you know that Taiki and I have been partners for three years, I'm not going to break that because of your libido!" Haruka pouted and Michiru laughed out loud, gaining everyone's attention.

"What are you laughing at, Kaioh-san?" Michiru looked around her surroundings. Hotaru stood in front of Michiru and looked at Haruka,

"Haruka, Michiru was just playing, please don't –"Haruka faced Michiru, staring directly into her eyes,

"Find me amusing, Kaioh-san?" Michiru stood, regaining her composure,

"I find most men who are arrogant to be amusing." Haruka stood back,

"If you came here just to insult me, then I have every right to ask you to leave, Kaioh-san." Michiru stood up and shook head and smiled,

"No, I didn't come here just to insult you but that is a nice plus. I came to see if your dance club was any good, Tenoh-kun." Haruka smirked at her, and she raised her hand out,

"To see, if we're any good? Why? You think you're good enough to join?" Michiru took off her jacket and walked into the centre of the gym, circling Haruka,

"I think I'm almost too good, Tenoh-kun." Haruka scoffed aloud and looked around the room,

"Really? Well, in that case, let's have a dance... the rumba... any objections?" Michiru shook her head and before she could go any further, Hotaru grabbed her arm,

"Michiru-san, don't! Haruka is really good... Sh- He won't let you walk away without criticising your steps!" Michiru smirked,

"I have nothing to worry about, Hotaru-chan... I had a professional dance teacher for years. I haven't made a fault in my steps since I was twelve." Michiru made her way back to Haruka and held her hands out to him, but he laughed and stepped back,

"I don't dance with newbies." Michiru frowned. 'What an ass', she thought. Seiya stepped forward and he looked at Michiru with interest gleaming in his eyes.

'He won't dance with me? Does he think he's better than me?' Michiru was about to voice these concerns when she heard Seiya's voice speak from behind her,

"I'll dance with the lovely Miss Kaioh." She turned and saw the black haired boy she now knew as Seiya. He held his hand out for her and she took it. Haruka's eyes flashed with anger for a moment, but after a moment it disappeared and Michiru ignored him deciding instead to concentrate on showing him what she was really made of. Michiru took Seiya's hand and waited to hear the music. Haruka walked over to the CD player and shock was evident on the aqua-haired girls' face as "Quizas, Quizas, Quizas" began to play in the hall. Doris Day? Michiru had never expected Haruka to even know a song like that.

_You won't admit you love me, and so how am I ever to know, you always tell me, perhaps, perhaps, perhaps..._

Haruka was staring directly at Michiru, with that grin she had grown to loathe. Seiya did an unexpected heel lead but Michiru recovered and followed his lead, he was the man after all.

_A million times I've asked you, and then I ask you over again, you only answer, perhaps, perhaps, perhaps_

Michiru's hands were moving, enough to not be criticised and precisely, they were placed, not thrown about. Seiya was smiling at her. Realising she was definitely a good dancer, he began to up his game, and grabbed Michiru around the waist.

_If you can't make your mind up, we'll never get started and I don't want to wind up being parted and broken hearted_

Michiru threw a look to Haruka who was still smirking but not even looking at her, only her feet, then to her hands... in fact he was looking everywhere but her face...' the pervert' Michiru glared at him but she realised she had to grab Seiya's hand he had left out for her. She took it and followed his second set of steps.

_So if you really love me, say yes, but if you don't dear confess, and please don't tell me perhaps, perhaps, perhaps_

"You're fantastic!" Seiya said into Michiru's ear gently. It nearly caused her to blush, but as they turned back she could see everyone was engrossed in their dance... everyone except that damned Haruka. Michiru began to frown and her dance became a little angrier.

_Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps, if you can't make your mind up, we'll never get started and I don't __wanna__ wind up being parted and broken hearted,_

She did an impressive set of freestyle steps with Seiya, and a spin. He lifted her off the floor with ease and she gracefully landed on the floor. Michiru looked back and she saw Haruka was staring at his nails, seemingly bored. She huffed as she and Seiya entered the last few steps of their dance.

_So if you really love me say yes, but if you don't dear confess, and please don't tell me, perhaps, perhaps, perhaps..._

_Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps._

As the song came to an end, Seiya had the beautiful Michiru in his arms, and he grinned widely at her,

"That was very pleasurable, Kaioh-san." Breathlessly, she spoke back to him, slightly exhausted from the dance,

"Michiru." Seiya nodded to her, and he eventually let her go. As he did, all they could hear was clapping from everyone, and Usagi screeching out,

"Mamo-chan, why don't you ever teach me to dance like that?" Michiru giggled, and turned to see Haruka looking directly at her, while he was leaning against the wall, Setsuna standing next to him, they were very close. She seemed to be whispering into his ear and the aqua-haired beauty sighed loudly. Haruka looked up, a nonchalant expression on his face. 'He is so annoying, I just want to shout at him right now. Was he even paying attention to me when I was dancing?' Michiru was feeling irate about Haruka's whole cocky attitude.

"Well?" Michiru spoke after 30 seconds of silence in which the blond said nothing. Haruka stood up, and walked slowly around the younger girl and Seiya. He then grinned as he stooped down and looked at Michiru's feet. After that, he stood up again and returned to Setsuna. He whispered into her ear and she frowned. Haruka was really getting on Michiru's nerves now. He whispered into her ear again and glanced at the young violinist, before Setsuna sighed and walked slowly with him back to Seiya and Michiru.

"You've danced before." Haruka spoke so candidly that there was really no response Michiru could think to give him, except to nod, "And it shows... very impressive. I mean I can't fault you", He grabbed Setsuna by the waist and took her hand in the rumba stance, the two re-created their first set of steps perfectly while Haruka spoke, "Your steps are perfect, there is no technicality in which I could find anything to criticise you." Haruka dipped Setsuna a little in a step that was not rumba, but she complied, the blond then grabbed Setsuna's thigh and very seductively ran his hand up her leg to her waist, " But technicalities are not everything, Kaioh-san, as I'm sure any good dancer would know," Haruka dragged both his hands around Setsuna and turned her so her back was against his chest, and Haruka breathlessly spoke into her ear, while directing his entire sentence at everyone, "You were lacking in every other department..." Setsuna grinned at Haruka and turned to face him again, the two resumed rumba steps while remaining close and their contact was making everyone else in the room blush. Still Haruka spoke while dancing perfectly with Setsuna, "There was no chemistry from either of you, there was no passion..." Haruka and Setsuna brought their dance to an end and the blonde looked Michiru directly in the eyes, "... You lacked any sex appeal."

"I beg your pardon?" Michiru was shocked... she was Michiru Kaioh… she was beautiful and graceful. Men lost their minds over her beauty. Haruka continued to speak, ignoring Michiru's reaction,

"I'm not saying you're not a beautiful girl... you are... but you are not sexy... well, not when you're dancing anyway." Michiru's jaw dropped and she scoffed out loud,

"And I suppose you have sex appeal?" She already regretted asking the question. The blonde had a large grin on his face, and he ran his hand through his hair once more,

"That's for you to see with your own eyes, Kaioh-san." Before Michiru could respond, Hotaru stepped between the two, and she looked Haruka in the eyes,

"Please, Haruka-pa... Haruka, please, not here... not now." Haruka looked down at Hotaru and nodded. Setsuna spoke up and looked at her watch,

"I think we should postpone the rest of this session till tomorrow when the teacher is here. I hope you'll be coming back tomorrow, Michiru-san." Michiru looked at Setsuna and shrugged,

"I don't know, Setsuna-sempai." Michiru glared at the blonde who didn't even glance away from Hotaru at this point with a guilty look on his face.

"Please Michiru-san. You have to come back!" Seiya had a pout on his face and that caused the aqua-haired beauty to laugh, but Haruka's eyes shot daggers at Seiya.

"What do you care if she comes back? You'll only let her down at the last minute, like you did last year!" Seiya looked at Haruka, but before anymore could be said the blond simply walked from the room, away from the person causing her all this anger. Michiru looked confused and Hotaru looked torn as to whether or not to run after him. But Setsuna gestured for Hotaru to go and make sure the blond didn't do anything stupid. Michiru looked over at everyone,

"What happened last year?" There was a silence in the room and Mamoru laughed nervously,

"Who wants to go to Crown Plaza?" Usagi jumped up and hugged Mamoru,

"Yay, Mamo-chan is paying for us all at the Plaza!" As the group began to walk away, Setsuna grabbed Michiru's arm gently and looked her in the eyes,

"I think I should explain some things to you about Haruka and Seiya, Michiru-san."

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**A/N 2 - If you've made it this far, you know what you gotta do! Ciao!**


	3. The Death Of Chivalry

**A/N - First off, I own nothing. Except a wicked pair of Nike Shox... Secondly, untold amounts of love go to Reusch17 for her awesome beta-reading (you really do deserve a medal for putting up with my lack of periods in my grammar!), and thirdly, don't forget to R&R because... well, it makes me happy **

**Enjoy! **

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CHAPTER 3 – THE DEATH OF CHIVALRY

Usagi began munching down on seven scoops of vanilla, three strawberry, four chocolate and one mint chocolate chip ice cream... all in the same dish. Seiya and his brothers were in the arcade with Mamoru, who decided to let the girls have some alone time. Aside from Usagi and Minako who had ice cream, everyone else had a soda float. 

"Nothing you say can make Tenoh-san seem like a nice person or justified enough to speak to Seiya-kun like that!" Michiru tried to sound as calm as possible, but inside she was nearly exploding... that damn cocky ass thought she had no sex appeal? Was Haruka really a stereotypical stupid blonde? 'This is war Tenoh, no-one insults Michiru Kaioh!', Michiru found her inward threats to the blonde so amusing she had to suppress a particularly evil snicker, which got her an odd glance from everyone at the table. After a few seconds, Setsuna cleared her throat,

"Maybe Michiru-san but I also think you and Haruka-kun got off on the wrong foot." Michiru scoffed,

"I don't like him." Setsuna smiled gently and Makoto laughed,

"Haruka isn't that bad, Michiru." The blush crept across Michiru's face again and Ami cleared her throat,

"Michiru! Ahem... Michiru, Haruka is a little misunderstood I think. Wow, where do we start from, Setsuna?" Setsuna thought deeply before she leant forward slightly, gaining the attention of everyone, Michiru especially,

"Okay, Michiru what I'm about to tell you does not leave your lips ever again, understand?" Michiru nodded, the tension and implications of secrecy was kind of getting the better of her.

"What is it, Setsuna-sempai?" Setsuna smiled warmly as she seemed to be remembering something,

"Haruka has reasons for being so rude to Seiya."

_The winter dance was happening tonight and there were dozens of students awaiting the main event… the dance competition between the five local high schools. Haruka was standing backstage with Setsuna and __Taiki__, and she looked down at her watch impatiently,_

_"Where the hell is Keiko? She knows we're up next, after this couple." Haruka ran his hand through his hair again, getting more impatient. Keiko and Haruka were in the same school, different years and Haruka had fought long and hard with best friend and rival __Seiya__ Kou to get Keiko not only as a dance partner, but as a lover. Haruka was in love with Keiko, that much the blonde knew for sure, and after this competition, Haruka had a plan to take Keiko to the beach and spend a romantic evening and express their love in a way words could not comprehend. Haruka grinned dreamily at the idea, almost perfect... if only Keiko could show up on time! Frustrated the blonde headed to the backstage area where it was quiet and good for anyone who wanted solitude and privacy. The blonde sat down and sighed heavily, 'Keiko please don't late', then got a little worried, what if something had happened to Keiko? Oh God, don't think like that Haruka. Then a giggle could be heard… __Keiko's sweet giggle._

_Haruka turned to find her but was faced with __Seiya__, his arm linked through Keiko's, both in matching silver outfits for ballroom, and their lips met in a passionate lock. Haruka instantly ran to them as soon as the kiss had ended,_

_"__Seiya__, dude, what the hell is going on?" __Seiya__ had a calm look on his face as Haruka pushed him back, as much force in her hands as she could muster, all the while Keiko looked like a kid who had just been caught with their hand in the cookie jar._

_"Haruka!__ How can I help you?" Haruka threw a look of utter bemusement to __Seiya__ before laughing bitterly,_

_"How can you help me?!__ How about helping me realise why the hell you turn up to the winter dance comp with my girlfriend... kissing her, you jerk__ what the hell is going on?" Haruka looked to Keiko who hid behind her new partner, "Keiko what's going on?" _

_"Haruka, I'm sorry that Keiko never told you, but we're lovers now." Haruka looked at Keiko in shock as __Seiya__ spoke... this would explain why Keiko had been avoiding her lately. Keiko was in the year above Setsuna and __Seiya__ while Haruka was the year below. Keiko had been fooling around with __Seiya__ behind her back and only now did Haruka find out. The blonde fought back tears and closed her eyes, when the deep green eyes opened a few seconds later, Haruka looked at her hand and frowned,_

_"I see." The blonde wasn't sure how long the tears could be fought back at this point,_

_"Haruka, I'm sorry... I didn't know when to tell you –__" Haruka__ held a rough hand __hand__ up and kept it in Keiko's face,_

_"Don't bother. __And as for you, __Seiya__ I forgave you for every other time you let me down, but this... this is... unforgivable." The blond walked away throwing a dark golden jacket away and heading away from the school, walking past __Usagi__Minako__ and __Rei__ who looked confused. Makoto saw Haruka and ran after the tall blond,_

_"Haruka!__ What's going on? Aren't you dancing?" Haruka turned to face the pretty brunette tomboy, tears in emerald eyes, not moving a muscle,_

_"No... I'm not." And with that, Haruka walked away._

"So you see, Michiru-san, Haruka has every reason to not be civil to Seiya-kun." Michiru shook her head,

"But Tenoh-kun asked to dance with you Setsuna-sempai, I saw him ask you!" Setsuna shook her head, laughing gently,

"Haruka does not compete anymore, but sh-he... he always does that... just to annoy me... and Taiki."

"Still... It doesn't make sense... why would that happen? I mean, why would Seiya take Keiko?" Makoto sighed loudly,

"Before Haruka and Keiko became an item, Haruka and Seiya were friends, but decided to court Keiko... and Haruka became Keiko's partner... they were very close, but it seems that Seiya thought that he would make a better partner for Keiko... in every sense of the word, everyone knew he had the hots for her, but we never thought he'd take it that far, he was best friends with Haruka! And Haruka didn't know till the last minute... poor Haru-chan." Usagi nodded, she spoke barely above a whisper,

"Hmm-mm, poor Haruka, I remember she was so heartbroken." Michiru's eyes widened,

"She?" Minako instantly gasped and grabbed Usagi's mouth, but before any of them could say anything, a husky voice spoke above their booth,

"I don't ever remember saying I was a he, Kaioh-san." Michiru looked up and saw the tall blonde standing there, but not looking at the group, instead keeping their deep teal eyes locked onto Seiya in the arcade. Hotaru stood next to Haruka and took the empty seat next to Michiru. Michiru spoke up, no, not spoke, she screamed,

"You're a girl?!" Haruka looked at her and nodded calmly but there was a playful smirk on her lips,

"Yup." Haruka walked around to the booth and took the seat next to Makoto and stole a nearby spoon and scooped the top of Makoto's ice cream float and put it into her mouth,

"No! No, no, no! You are not a girl! You're the most annoying boy I've ever met!" Michiru was still in shock, Haruka smirked, almost seductively, keeping her eyes locked with the aqua-haired girl,

"Sorry to disappoint, girly, but I am in fact, female... want proof?" Michiru still looked in shock,

"What? How can you prove it to me? You – oh... Oh! No! Oh, you're unbelievable!" Michiru sat down, her head in her hands, still trying to come to terms with the fact that Haruka Tenoh was no longer the most annoying boy in the world... but the most annoying girl. Haruka shrugged and sat back a little, an arrogant glint in her eyes,

"Not the first time I've been told that... Don't mind me, kitten. You carry on speaking about whatever it was you were talking about." There was a deadly silence. Hotaru coughed to gain Haruka's attention and Haruka laughed gently,

"I know, hime-chan, regardless of where I am... women cannot resist talking about me. Do carry on, you know I love the attention." Haruka winked at Usagi who giggled and Makoto nudged Haruka playfully in the ribs,

"You're something else, Tenoh." Makoto stuck her tongue out at Haruka who returned the gesture while sitting back in her seat. Once again another silence fell over the group. Haruka looked around at Setsuna who had a guilty look. Haruka sighed.

"I take it you were talking about something that I don't like to be talked about...hmm... Seiya perhaps?... Then maybe... Keiko-chan." Haruka whispered the last name which caused Michiru to look up finally and she couldn't help but note the sadness in the blonde's eyes, which were soon covered up with a fake smile,

"Carry on, I don't mind at all... where were you all last?" Setsuna cleared her throat,

"I just told Michiru about the last winter dance," Haruka clenched her jaw but no-one except Michiru, Setsuna and Hotaru really noticed, "I was about to talk about the Grand Finals." Haruka waved her hand, as though to give permission to carry on. Michiru couldn't keep her eyes off of the tomboy. Now that she knew Haruka was a woman, it seemed to make matters completely different.

"Go for it, I don't care... hey, hime-chan, you want a milkshake?" Hotaru nodded, "I'll be right back."

Setsuna watched Haruka get up and head for the queue to get the milkshake for Hotaru. Michiru kept her eyes on Haruka's form. Michiru couldn't believe she ever thought Haruka was a boy, the way she was walking was totally feminine, her body, even though covered up by her clothes, you could make the outline of curves when a draught kept her clothes close to her form,

"Haruka hasn't competed since that winter formal, but she helps the club... she gets credit for teaching with me and the sensei in the club, which is all she needs to make up for her off season for the track and racing." Setsuna took a sip of her cola, "But she had to accompany all the competitors to the Grand Finals. Keiko and Seiya were due to compete in tango and the quickstep. But... things didn't go according to plan."

_"Where is he? Where is he? Has anyone seen him?" Keiko was rushing about backstage looking for her dark-haired partner, she was dressed in a tight fitting dress, black all over and the most intricate pair of high hells you've ever seen in your life._

_"No-one has seen him, Keiko-chan."__ Setsuna answered calmly but she too was concerned. What was __Seiya__ up to?_

_"Oh God, he knows how important this is to me. My scholarship to that dance school is dependent on winning this... he wouldn't let me down...right?" Keiko turned to Haruka for comfort but only found her cold eyes glaring at her,_

_"I told you not to speak to me, __Byakuya-sama__." Keiko still couldn't get over the shock of being so formally addressed to by her ex-lover. Haruka walked away from her and was confronted by Makoto in the hallway,_

_"What's up, Haruka?" Haruka looked at Makoto and smiled gently,_

_"I knew this would happen... no-one listened to me... __Seiya__ can't handle pressure, I know from first-hand experience. Sure, he acts like he could, but even if he does show up I'm more than convinced that he would buckle under all this." Haruka folded her arms and leaned against the wall. Makoto smiled and stood next to her, in her green shimmering dress, she leant against the wall too,_

_"Have you told her you still love her, Haruka?" Haruka shook her head,_

_"No, I don't love her, __Mako__... But I still care for her... where could that asshole be?!"At that instant, __Haruka's__ phone rang. __Seiya's__ name lit up her caller ID and she flipped open her phone,_

_"Where the hell are you, Kou-san?" There was silence, and __Seiya__ sighed audibly,_

_"I'm not going to be there, Haruka... tell Keiko, I'm sorry." Haruka clenched her phone in her hand as __Seiya__ hung up. Haruka looked at __Makoto__ who seemed confused,_

_"He's not coming, I fucking knew it__ Aw, shit... Now, I __gotta__ tell Keiko that her scholarship is down the fucking drain. Damn you, __Seiya__!"_

"That's what happened right, Mako-chan?" Makoto nodded, Michiru thought deeply about what it meant... Haruka knew first-hand? Knew what it was like to have that happen... or for Seiya to do that? She was taken from her thoughts when Makoto spoke,

"That's what happened that night. And then -" Makoto stopped speaking as Haruka returned to the booth and smiled as she handed Hotaru her milkshake,

"Carry on Makoto...or would you like me to continue?" Haruka smirked at Makoto who threw her an unimpressed glare,

"Eavesdropping is not a good habit, you know!" Haruka poked her tongue out again and Michiru couldn't help but to stare at the blonde again... now Michiru knew Haruka was a girl, her feelings had changed a little... Haruka wasn't just a handsome, flirtatious boy, but rather Haruka was a handsome woman, very open with herself and she had herself open to the world, but Michiru couldn't help but feel the tomboy hid a lot of herself from everyone, even her close friends. Now Michiru couldn't stop staring at Haruka, she looked closer she could see that Haruka's defined collarbone and then her gaze fell to her breasts, well hidden from the way she dressed however, Michiru blushed a little at the overwhelming sight. Haruka could see Michiru staring at her,

"Neither is ogling, Mako-chan but it appears no-one told Kaioh-san that." Michiru instantly went red across her face and glared at Haruka. Haruka was about to laugh but was met with glares from Setsuna and Hotaru,

"Gomen, Michiru-san." Haruka sounded sincere. Michiru looked at the blonde then looked away,

"Are we done story-telling to Michiru? I have to get Hotaru home before my parents call to make sure I haven't burnt the house down and killed Sets and Taru or something." Michiru laughed at the nicknames Haruka gave to Setsuna and Hotaru.

"Why would they worry about Hotaru and Setsuna?" Michiru sounded more amused than curious and Haruka looked at her, one eyebrow cocked,

"They didn't get around to telling you that did they, Michiru-san?" Michiru shook her head slowly, "Ah, well... Hotaru and Setsuna live with me." Michiru raised her eyebrows in surprise,

"Why do they live with you?" Haruka smirked and put up that grin which Michiru now found a little tempting,

"Well, Hotaru's legal guardians are my parents and we rent out a room to Sets." Haruka chuckled at the word rent which made Setsuna go red,

"Hey, I pay but they just keep giving me my money back." Haruka laughed a little more before reaching over and pulling on Setsuna's cheek,

"Hai, true... but it's just fun to tease you about it." Haruka stood up, signalling she was ready to leave and the group stood to let Setsuna out. She stood next to Haruka and Hotaru hesitated,

"What is it, hime-chan?" Haruka sounded concerned as Hotaru had a little frown across her face,

"Ne, Haruka-papa... can we give Michiru a ride? She has her violin and bags to carry... and it's surely going to rain... it's not nice weather to walk." Haruka looked over to Michiru and smiled warmly,

"Want a ride home?" Michiru was shocked to find that Haruka hadn't said this sentence herself, but it was a different voice, and now Haruka had a deep scowl etched across her features. Michiru turned around to find the owner of the voice and saw Seiya standing there, his car keys in his hand and a grin across his face.

"Thank you Seiya, but – "

"Great, I'll meet you out front." Michiru looked at him as he walked away. She turned around and could see a sad Hotaru, an angry Haruka but an empathetic Setsuna who was about to speak when Haruka walked away from the group, speaking to Hotaru,

"Come, hime-chan, let's get home. We don't have time to waste." Hotaru nodded gently and smiled to Michiru. Setsuna sighed deeply,

"Sorry, Michiru... we'll see you tomorrow okay? Please come back to the class." Michiru nodded absentmindedly while Usagi smiled innocently,

"That was nice of Seiya to give Michiru a lift, though, right?" Minako sighed as Rei hit Usagi upside her head,

"Usagi! You baka!"

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**A/N 2 - Sorry if this wasn't what you expected, but anyone who's read my other stories should know... there will be flashbacks! Just to add again - my undying love and devotion to Reusch17 for being so amazingly awesome for me Squee!**


	4. I Don't Really Care

**A/N - An early update, I know! Ah well, I hope you all enjoy this, and once again much love to Reusch17 for her awesome help on my grammar. Thanks to RukaMichi92 for letting me borrow something from her (you rock)! And oh yeah, R&R cos nothing quite feeds my ego like it :D Enjoy! (disclaimers on the first chapter remember) **

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CHAPTER 4 – I REALLY DON'T CARE

It had been exactly one week since the incident at the Plaza and Michiru was finding the week unbearable, she had decided to go back to the dance class after seeing that it did indeed offer more credits for the course than any others at school, and for Michiru's appearance, credits and great grades were an absolute. But, in lessons, Haruka pretended Michiru didn't exist, and in dance class, Haruka took the half of the class that Michiru wasn't in to teach. Michiru was finding it all very difficult to concentrate, and she didn't know why. It's not like she had any obligation to the blonde, nor did she have any relationship with her. But since she found out Haruka was a girl, she found herself staring at her more, taking in her features, her every line and curve... she wanted Haruka's attention and at first didn't know why... but soon she realised that she didn't just want to be friends, her feelings told her that… the feelings that she had for that blonde were beyond any feelings Michiru should have for any friend. Haruka was such a temptation, near forbidden fruit, she was everything Michiru wanted and more. Yes, these feelings were more than a want for friendship, they were lust, definite lust. Seeing the blond move in the classroom, her muscles, her demeanour, the way she behaved, it was all Michiru could think about and all she wanted. Michiru definitely wanted the blond, to be held by Haruka, to taste her tempting lips, to have Haruka look her in the eyes, to be in Haruka's bed... whoa. Okay, she had to stop herself. Haruka was standing five feet away in tight jeans and a black shirt, with a scowl that to be honest, right now, was only making her look sexier to Michiru.

"Are you even listening, Kaioh-san?" Michiru was broken out of her daze by Setsuna, who sighed and shook her head, "I'll repeat myself then... Today is the deadline for the winter competition. It's two months from now. You have to sign up with a partner and also with the three dances you will be doing. Not only is there a cash prize but there is also credits that can go toward your total year grade. This is a 30 credit. Double credits than any other course in school." There was an instant hubbub from everyone and Haruka continued to scowl,

"I will be taking the competitors choosing samba, rumba, foxtrot and the waltz." Setsuna finished while Haruka cleared her throat,

"I'll be taking tango, Vienesse Waltz, Paso Doble and quickstep. And Mido-sensei told us to tell you not to bother picking jive or any dances we're not overseeing as the other competitors will more than likely be taking those steps. Sign up is over there." Haruka stated then walked away while everyone pondered over dance partners. Taiki approached Setsuna and smiled gently as he took her hand,

"Setsuna, can you do me the pleasure of being my partner this year?" Setsuna smiled and she bowed to him,

"I would love to, Taiki." She grinned as he kissed her on the cheek gently. Yaten grinned as he approached Minako,

"Hey, Mina-chan, I know you dance with Haruka in class but can you do me the honour of – " Minako squealed,

"I'd love to Yaten-kun!" Ami smiled gently at Makoto, but Makoto shook her head,

"You know girls can't dance together, Ami." This was a bit of a shock to Michiru, she had guessed that Makoto was gay, but Ami? This school was definitely something new to Michiru.

"But didn't Haruka dance with girls in competitions?" Ami nodded,

"Hai... but we all kept her gender secret... Haruka is a great dancer, but imagining her in a ball-gown is something beyond our abilities!"

"And to think I've had the pleasure to see it. I feel honoured." Seiya had gotten behind Michiru without anyone noticing. He was most certainly a slippery thing. Michiru raised an eyebrow,

"Haruka? In a ballgown?" Seiya nodded, holding back a laugh,

"That's how we met, when we were kids... we used to be dance partners at our old dance school... she always did hate dresses... although they did look good with her hair, when it was longer of course..." Michiru nearly fainted at the thought of Haruka in a tight ball-gown, with longer hair, Seiya continued to speak, "Speaking of partners... do you have a partner yet Michiru-san?" Instinctively, Michiru shook her head, but found herself glancing at Haruka who sat at the sign up table, bored as hell.

"Not yet." Seiya raised his eyebrows in interest, he followed her gaze,

"Ne, Michiru... Haruka-san may act like a man, but I believe you know she's not, right?" Michiru looked at Seiya confused...of course she knew Haruka wasn't a man, they had just spoken about that! That's also the reason Michiru wanted to dance with her... Seiya continued, oblivious to Michiru's confusion, "I would like it if you would be my partner, would you do me the honour, Michiru-san?" Seiya must have said it louder than Michiru realised because the room went dead quiet. Haruka looked up from her seat and looked at Michiru. Michiru looked around the room, and saw Haruka looking at her. Usagi spoke up,

"Michiru? Are you and Seiya going to be partners?" Seiya looked at Michiru and she found herself slowly nodding. There were no other boys in the class and she really wanted to take part. Hotaru brought over the sign-up sheet,

"Here, Michiru-san, put your names down and the dances you want to do." Michiru smiled politely and took it. Seiya spoke up,

"I think we should do the rumba... we did it so well the other week... ne?" Michiru absentmindedly nodded, "And foxtrot is always fun." Michiru shook her head,

"No, I'd much rather do the waltz, Seiya." Seiya nodded,

"Sure, it seems we're going to be spending a lot of time in Setsuna's group, ne?" Michiru shook her head once again,

"No, Seiya, Viennese Waltz, it's the more refined dance and I think we should do the Paso Doble too." This time Seiya disagreed,

"The Paso is too popular, we should do tango, not many can pull it off." Then a husky voice intervened,

"Neither can you." Michiru looked up straight into deep emerald orbs and she smiled at Haruka. Instead of smiling back, Haruka walked over to the open window at the other end of the hot classroom. Michiru scribbled tango and Viennese Waltz down onto the sheet and gave it back to Hotaru before heading over to Haruka.

"Tenoh-san?" There was no response from Haruka. Michiru sighed.

"Haruka. My name is Haruka." Haruka sounded angry, not her usual angry but hurt angry.

"I'm sorry, Tenoh-san, I – " Haruka growled in frustration,

"No! Haruka. Ha-Ru-Ka... can you manage that? You manage to call everyone else by their first name but not me. Now you can, because I'm telling you that you can. Haruka! Okay?" Michiru couldn't help but to giggle at the blonde's outburst,

"Ara, are you jealous that I don't call you by your given name?" The blond gulped,

"N-no, of course not, it's just... um, er... disrespectful! We hang out with the same friends and you call everyone but me by their given name." Haruka pouted and looked away. Michiru giggled again,

"Aw, don't pout, you look much cuter when you smile... Haruka-san." Haruka raised her eyebrows and that grin appeared again. The one Michiru hated... until she found out Haruka was a girl, now it caused Michiru's knees to turn to jelly and gave her butterflies in her stomach.

"Cuter, huh? You think I look cute now, but cuter when I smile?" Michiru went a slight tinge of pink before she looked down at her feet to regain her cool,

"I just wanted you to stop acting like a baby, Haruka-san." Haruka grinned,

"You'll be with me four times a week, you know." Michiru went bright red at that statement and Haruka laughed,

"For the dance. Twice a week for each dance."

"Oh." Michiru regained her composure, before she could say anything, Hotaru jumped over,

"Haruka-papa, did you ask her? Did you?" Haruka laughed at Hotaru,

"Not yet, Hotaru... patience." Michiru looked at Hotaru who was locking her gaze with Haruka,

"Hotaru, why do you call Haruka... papa?" Hotaru went bright red and looked at Haruka,

"Oh, I didn't say it out loud, did I?" Haruka nodded seeming very amused,

"You said it last week at the Plaza too." Hotaru groaned and went red, but Haruka laughed. Hotaru looked at Michiru and spoke,

"Well, I've lived with Haruka since my parents passed away when I was younger... and Haruka's parents took us in... but they travelled a lot when we were younger, so while they were gone, Haruka and her Uncle Hachi looked after me a lot... it took a long while before she told me she wasn't a boy," as Hotaru said 'boy' she sent a playful glare to the blonde who was nearly crying from laughing so hard," and until I was old enough to know the difference... but it was my nickname for her back in those days... she looks a lot like my dad... from what I remember of him and photos, anyway. Old habits die hard, I guess." She laughed nervously and Michiru giggled too,

"That's so sweet, who knew you could have such a sweet side, Haruka?" Haruka smiled and whispered into Michiru's ear,

"I have a sweet centre too." Michiru went bright red at this and Haruka laughed out loud, causing everyone to turn their attention to her. Michiru grabbed Haruka by the arm and took her out of the room, and into the empty hallway,

"What the hell was that about?" Haruka kept her gaze cool and calm,

"I've been watching you closely this week... in lessons and out... you don't have an interest solely in men, do you?" Michiru sighed, could she tell her the truth? No. Not yet.

"I don't know what you mean." Haruka smiled,

"Oh, so you haven't been throwing lovey-dovey eyes at - ?" Haruka laughed as she saw Michiru go bright red again,

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, Tenoh." Haruka stopped laughing and studied Michiru's face.

"Ah, so I am right?" Michiru shook her head,

"Listen, you tell anyone Tenoh and you will see a side of me you will not like." Haruka noted Michiru's intense glare,

"There's the passion you've been lacking, Michiru-san!" She laughed and Michiru smacked her shoulder playfully,

"Listen, Tenoh, my preferences are of no concern to you." The blond pouted,

"Aw, but I really wanted to know!" Michiru laughed,

"Haruka, you are unlike any other person I have met that's for sure." Michiru could feel her cheeks turn red but she turned her head away, avoiding Haruka's gaze. When she looked back, she could see that Haruka now had a serious expression on her face.

"So is it- Who... who is it?" Haruka seemed desperate to know almost like she had to know. Michiru was glad she hadn't figured out who she had her eyes on all week, it could have made this conversation much more embarrassing,

"It's... someone we both know... I can't tell you." Michiru could only think of what a coward she was. Haruka nodded her head, looking pretty sad,

"I know who it is, it's pretty obvious." Michiru was about to retort when Hotaru jumped out into the hallway,

"Hey, you two! Get back in here, we still have time for one more dance!" Setsuna had clearly resumed her role as grumpy mother figure again. Haruka sighed and she was about to enter the room again, Michiru grabbed her forearm,

"Haruka, are you okay?" The blonde looked down at the younger girl and nodded gently, smiling at her with a warmth Michiru had yet to know, but her eyes were filled with sadness... similar to the sadness she had seen when Haruka had mentioned Keiko. Wordlessly the blonde got out of Michiru's grasp and headed back into the classroom. Michiru slowly and silently followed.

"Okay, we're going to do a basic foxtrot. Pick your partners." Haruka instantly took her gaze upon her brunette tomboy friend, Makoto. Ami was about to grab Makoto's hand for the practice when Haruka grabbed her instead, out of nowhere, flashing that brilliant smile to Ami,

"Ne, Ami, do you mind if I steal her for this one dance?" Ami hesitated but then shook her head, smiling softly to Mako, who just seemed plain confused. Haruka took her stance and held her arms at shoulders' height and gracefully Makoto followed, still confused at Haruka's actions.

"Haruka-chan, what's up with you? You've not danced with me since for nearly two years." Makoto spoke in between forced smiles and steep toe leads,

"I wanted to talk to you. Quickly of course." Makoto frowned in confusion,

"Concentrate, Kino-san!" Setsuna spoke above the music and instantly Makoto's heels stepped back into place, Haruka kept her gaze over Makoto's shoulder while speaking gently,

"Did you know Michiru-san likes you?" Haruka continued, the statement in itself almost caused Makoto to fall over,

"Wh-what?" Haruka kept her arm rigid at Makoto's back, while moving her into a slow step,

"You heard me... did you know?" Makoto kept quiet for a moment as Haruka and Makoto were inches away from Michiru and Seiya. As soon as they stepped away, Makoto spoke lowly,

"Hai... Well, Ami thought she liked me... but – "

"Okay, Mako-chan. I just had to make sure that if you knew then you know you now have to tell her about you and Ami-chan, okay?" Makoto silently nodded,

"Haruka... why did you come to dance with me to ask me that? You could have asked me after."

"Everyone would have questioned why I wanted to talk to you in private. Especially if they found out it was to tell you that Michiru likes you." The dance came to a slow and Haruka and Makoto finished their dance in an elegant pose, with a sway step and a turn. Makoto looked at Haruka and before anyone else could speak to them, Makoto whispered,

"I think you are wrong Haruka... Michiru liked me. Past tense. She seems to-" Haruka's intrigue was brutally cut in half by Setsuna,

"Haruka! I realise you have the most experience, but please allow Kino-san to listen to my advice. Kino-san less toe leads, more ball-flats. You're too tall on your toes... ah, look at the time... here tomorrow at half past three, okay?" Setsuna scowled at Haruka who waved her off playfully. Haruka walked over to her bag and she began to pile her clothes and belongings into it when she heard a melodic giggle come from behind. 'Her', Haruka thought.

"Haruka-chan... you don't even have to listen in class, lucky you, ne?" Haruka stood up and faced Michiru, a weak smile on the tomboy's face,

"Yeah, lucky me, huh?" Haruka stepped past Michiru but was instantly blocked by an energetic and eager Hotaru,

"Have you asked her yet, Haru-chan?" Haruka scowled,

"No. Let's get going, hime." This time Michiru was determined on not letting Haruka get away, the blonde was acting exactly how she had a week ago at the Plaza, no Haruka Tenoh was not getting away with acting that way again! Michiru gathered her belongings before she followed the blonde, Hotaru and Setsuna out to Haruka's car. Michiru waited until Haruka had opened her car doors before taking a deep breath and yelling as she ran over to the yellow convertible.

"Haruka!" The blond turned around, seemingly annoyed at being called out. But her weak smile returned almost immediately,

"What is it, Michiru-san?" Michiru was breathless as she ran to reach the trio.

"What's wrong? I thought we were friends!" Michiru searched the blonde's face for any clue in her change of behaviour. The last time she spoke to the stubborn sexy fool was their conversation over who Haruka thought she liked... oh, no. Haruka must have thought she liked someone else in that class... to Michiru, the thought of liking or being with anyone other than the tomboy before her made her stomach turn into knots. Haruka was about to turn around when Michiru gathered her courage to shout out.

"I don't think you know who it is, so please don't make assumptions, Haruka-san!" Haruka's scowl returned,

"I don't think your personal preferences are any of my concern, remember, Michiru-san? ... And to be honest, I-I... I don't really care." Michiru took in the blonde's features, her words, her voice, it was all cold, but Michiru took one look into her eyes and saw a different story. She saw the eyes of someone who was torn. In some torment... and Haruka turned her face away. Hotaru looked at Haruka as she opened up her car, she whispered quietly,

"That was mean, Haruka-san." Haruka turned to Hotaru and saw her face tinged with sadness, her purple eyes filled with disappointment and the blond sighed, and she turned to Michiru,

"Gomen, Michiru... I'm just not feeling myself today." Haruka bowed respectfully to Michiru, but Michiru didn't return the bow because she knew Haruka was only apologising because Hotaru made her feel guilty, not because she wanted to and Michiru didn't want Haruka to apologise for any other reason than for her to be genuine for feeling sorry. Michiru turned away and began to walk away from the blond that was causing her so much trouble. How could she have such feelings for that contemptible woman when all Haruka seemed to do was run hot and cold?

"You didn't ask her did you, Haruka-papa?" Haruka shook her head slowly, almost sadly at Hotaru's question and Setsuna sighed loudly before running to Michiru and grabbing her wrist. Michiru whipped her head around, hoping to see Haruka but was instead greeted with Setsuna's face, worry etched over her elegant features. She released Michiru as soon as she turned around,

"Michiru... we know that your parents are away this week... would you like to join us for dinner tonight?"

Setsuna. Now there was someone Michiru could tell was genuine. She appreciated Setsuna wholly. She was right; her parents were away this week, in Osaka in a big meeting and Michiru was left in their new home, alone with the staff who didn't want to socialise... she had no other friends and the offer did sound tempting... but right now she got the feeling that Haruka didn't want to be near her. The blond clearly wanted to be away from her and was standing against her car impatiently, not even looking at Michiru. Michiru found herself shaking her head at Setsuna,

"No, Setsuna-san... Well, I would like to join you but I do not want to be near Tenoh-san when she so clearly doesn't want me near her." Setsuna smiled gently,

"It was Haruka's idea to invite you." Michiru's eyes widened and she looked at the blond for some response but was met with Haruka leaning against her car, looking down at the floor, her short blond hair covering her face.

"It was?" Even though Setsuna had just told her so, Michiru found it hard to believe, but Hotaru energetically nodded,

"Hai... she felt bad last week at the Plaza, and how she had been treating you and – "

"Hime-chan!" Haruka bellowed at Hotaru who giggled at Haruka. At first Michiru couldn't tell why, but then she saw Haruka was very clearly blushing. Michiru giggled in turn, while Haruka rubbed the back of her neck before speaking,

"I just felt bad for being so mean to you all week... figured you could use some company to make up for it... that's all." Haruka kicked a pebble on the floor like a kid and pouted a little, Michiru smiled at the sight. God, she was gorgeous, Michiru couldn't help but smile at her, even when she acted as immature as a five year-old, Michiru still desired her.

"If you really want me to be there, I'll be glad to come to your home for dinner." Haruka looked at Michiru and seemed confused, she looked away and Michiru sighed. She was about to speak again when a familiar husky voice whispered gently,

"I really want you to be there." Before anyone could say anymore, Haruka got into her car and sulked,

"Come on, you three, I don't have all day!" Michiru smiled and Hotaru giggled and looked at Setsuna,

"Haruka is blushing an awful lot lately, don't you think Setsuna?" Setsuna nodded,

"Yes, hime-chan, it seems as though someone has gotten to Haruka Tenoh." Setsuna glanced at Michiru as the three got into the car. Michiru smiled secretly to herself. She, Michiru Kaioh, had gotten to Haruka Tenoh... that thought in itself made her body tingle again with intense lust for the tomboy.


	5. I Prefer To Live It That Way

**A/N: I am totally exhausted, so sorry for this chapter's lack of... well whatever it lacks :D Hopefully I'll be able to update once a week in between all the drama in my life (Oh! Thr drama!). Anyway you know the usaul, I own nothing of Sailor Moon, except this great wall poster I found in a car boot sale for a £1... wicked nay? If you don't know this song by the Gipsy Kings I will question your sanity... Anyway R&R cos it makes me happy! **

CHAPTER 5 – I Prefer To Live It That Way

To say the Tenoh household is a noisy one is a complete understatement. 'Of biblical proportions' was a phrase that better suited the residence. The second that Haruka entered her home, she was ambushed with a hug from her mother, who in turn then grabbed Hotaru in a tight hug too. Setsuna was greeted with a more mature kiss on the cheek. There was music playing from a stereo somewhere, and the clear sound of boiling food could be heard from the area Michiru assumed was the kitchen. Haruka's mother was a woman with the same colour hair as her daughter but longer, just past her shoulder and deep brown eyes.

"Ara, Haruka, who is this young lady?" Haruka turned to her mother and mumbled under her breath,

"This is Michiru Kaioh, okaa-san, she'll be joining us for dinner if it's no problem." Haruka kissed her mother on the cheek and Haruka's mother shrieked at a high pitch,

"Of course she can!" Michiru was shocked that a woman that friendly, polite and pleasant could have a daughter as rude and curt as Haruka. Michiru smiled and bowed respectfully,

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Tenoh-sama." Haruka's mother smiled and bowed too,

"Please, Kaioh-san, call me Yumi." Michiru nodded,

"Only if you call me Michiru." Before any more can be said, a tall man with the most amazing green eyes and dark auburn hair appeared in the hallway and grinned before looking at all the girls,

"Oh, my girls are all back!" The man spoke in a deep American accent, and much to Michiru's shock, Haruka spoke back in perfect English,

"Dad! Quit it! I've told you a thousand times!" Haruka pouted again while putting her coat and bags on the stand and taking her shoes off before entering her home. Michiru, Hotaru and Setsuna all followed suit. Michiru watched in amazement as she was led into Haruka's home by Hotaru and Yumi, with Setsuna walking behind them. As she was lead into the living room, she turned around at a sudden noise and saw Haruka being tackled by her dad,

"Ha! You were off-guard again... what kinda Tenoh are ya? Huh?" Haruka growled before she moved her entire upper body to flip her father unexpectedly on his front and lock his arm behind his back,

"A calculating one, otou-san." Haruka smirked again, and stood, she looked over to her mother, who shook her head,

"Oh kami-sama... I'm so glad Taru and Sets are here or I'd be stuck with these two boys all day." Michiru laughed at the comment, as did Hotaru and Setsuna. Haruka blushed as did her father as he stood up, both of them laughed nervously. Haruka put her hands in her pants pockets while her father scratched the back of his neck nervously,

"But, babe! I was teaching Ruka, how to handle herself in a life or death situation!" Yumi chuckled,

"Leon, the only person who will be handling a life and death situation here will be you if you wreck anything in this house!" Leon, Haruka's father, instantly froze and looked around, as did Haruka, for any broken items, they both sighed in relief as they saw none. Yumi chuckled,

"Come into the kitchen, all of you, I have prepared Western and Japanese food tonight," Yumi looked at the confused Michiru and spoke gently, "Leon and Haruka can never agree on what to have for dinner, so it's always a mixture." Michiru couldn't contain her instant response,

"Haruka? Stubborn? Surely not." The sarcasm wasn't lost on Yumi who giggled but then stopped laughing and looked over to Haruka who seem to blush further. Michiru was confused until Setsuna spoke clearly,

"It's good to see that Haruka has a friend who isn't afraid to drop the honorifics, ne, Yumi-san?" Michiru almost gasped in shock at the realization, but then Leon spoke up,

"Hey, in this house, I prefer the honorifics dropped... I only do them to keep Yumi happy... she seems to think I'm an animal otherwise!" He grinned like a child at Yumi who sat at the dining table,

"When you see him eat Michiru-san, you will understand why I think like that." Leon instantly pouted and Michiru couldn't help to notice that Haruka was like her father in every single way except her hair, which clearly belonged to her mother's side.

Midway through dinner, when it was eerily quiet, Leon decided to break the silence and while cutting through a thick steak, he spoke in perfect Japanese,

"So... Michiru, how do you know Ruka, 'Taru and Sets?" Ruka. Before Michiru's mind could even comprehend to answer she smiled at the thought of being able to call Haruka as something as intimate as that. But Michiru answered nonetheless,

"Haruka...san, is in my homeroom... and I joined the dance club." Michiru hoped to leave it at that until Hotaru spoke up in between a bite of teriyaki,

"Hai, Michiru is a good addition to the class, she dances so well, Leon-papa!" Leon seemed to raise an eyebrow and he looked down at his daughter knowingly,

"That right, Ruka?" Haruka looked up from her sashimi and she glanced over to Michiru before nodding,

"Yeah, her steps are flawless." Her father could see the slight glare from Michiru after she was reminded of Haruka's comments earlier in the week. Leon grinned devilishly to his wife who simply smiled at him,

"So, Ruka is this the girl you said you –" Instantly Leon was met with a dumpling thrown into his mouth, as Haruka covered his mouth with her hand and spoke in English once more,

"Dad! I swear to God, if you even think of uttering the next few words, I will make them your last!" Leon smiled as he chewed the dumpling in his mouth. As he finished eating, Haruka eyed him suspiciously, while Michiru seemed seven shades of confused,

"Sorry... am I the girl who what?" Leon smirked and looked at his daughter who instantly threw him a glare that spoke volumes. 'Say anything old man and prepare to meet your maker' thought the youngest Tenoh. Leon cocked an eyebrow,

"Hmm... so, Ruka... is she the girl you said lacked sex appeal?... On the dance floor, I mean?" Haruka's eyes widened, she had mixed feelings, she was glad her dad added 'on the dance floor' but that very same addition spoke volumes that Haruka was not prepared to face. She had spoken to him the day she had seen Michiru's rumba. She had told him how exquisite she thought Michiru was but her dances with Seiya lacked energy, chemistry... Leon snickered at the memory while Haruka seemed to be having a heart attack.

"Otou-san!" He laughed, 

"But that is what you said, isn't it?" He grinned devilishly and received a cold glare from his daughter. Michiru looked horrified,

"You told your parents I lacked sex appeal!" Yumi grinned and looked up at Leon as Haruka defended herself,

"Only on the dancefloor!" Haruka didn't even have time to notice her slip, but Michiru did. However Haruka was saved as most embarrassed teenage girls are by her mother intervening,

"Don't worry about it dear... Leon and I used to be quite the dancers. We're the ones who forced Haru-chan into it. She needed something more feminine what with all her motorsport racing, oh but don't worry... we always talk about dancing with her." Michiru looked down, seeming very down, but she felt a hand on her shoulder and Yumi looking at her, 

"Darling, don't worry yourself. Haruka may have said that, but one can never know until one has seen it for their selves, ne?" Michiru looked at Yumi, a certain doom formed in her mind,

"Are you saying that you want to see me dance?"

"Ara, not now... after dinner perhaps?" Michiru nearly fainted on the spot but Hotaru giggled gently,

"Michiru dances very graciously." 

"Yeah but some dances don't require grace, they require raw passion." Haruka spoke. Michiru looked up and saw Haruka staring directly at her, Leon laughed loudly,

"Well, we'll see after dinner." 

Michiru smiled politely,

"Demo, Leon-sama, I could not dance with you, you're far too tall for me." Leon smirked,

"Not with me, Michiru... with Ruka." It was Haruka's turn to nearly choke on her food,

"Nani? Me? " Yumi giggled at her daughter's reaction,

"Hai, Haruka, you're the only person who knows the male leads here... and isn't as domineering as your father." Haruka was about to protest but was met with Hotaru and Setsuna giggling. Michiru was going to protest, but the chance to dance with Haruka? It was too good to pass up, so Michiru opted for acting like she was upset, when inside she was jumping for joy at having the opportunity to be close to the blonde thrown in her direction.

It was twenty minutes later, that Michiru found the living room of the Tenoh's had been drastically altered. Leon had moved all the sofas and seats as far back to the walls as he could, the coffee table was moved to the edges too, and Yumi, Sets, Taru and Leon were all seated on these chairs on the edge. Haruka entered the living room from the kitchen and laughed bitterly,

"This is so embarrassing. I bring a friend home and the first thing you do is embarrass me." Yumi laughed gently,

"Ne, Haruka, Setsuna tells me Michiru is competing in the winter competition and if she lacks passion like you say, we need to see it, to help." Haruka rolled her eyes; 'help who', she thought to herself.

Setsuna made her way to the hi-fi system in the corner of the room and looked over to Haruka,

"What dance are you doing?" Haruka eyed Michiru and sighed,

"Quickstep."

"No!" Michiru shocked even herself at that outburst and Haruka looked at her with both eyebrows raised,

"No?" She smirked and Michiru managed to keep her blush at bay, and spoke almost bitterly,

"No. It's pointless doing a dance that doesn't require... the raw passion and sex appeal you talk so avidly about." Haruka shrugged while she replied,

"I think quickstep is sexy." Leon sniggered at his daughter,

"Then you're a weirdo, Ruka." Haruka pouted again and Yumi looked at the two, standing in the middle of her floor. She raised her eyebrow and whispered into her husband's ear. He grinned widely and nodded. She looked over to Setsuna,

"Sets... find the Gypsy Kings CD... Bamboleo."Haruka instantly turned on the spot looking towards her mother,

"Samba? Are you kidding me!" Yumi shook her head and put on a mock innocent face,

"What's the matter Haruka? Don't want to dance the samba?" Haruka looked away from her mother, who was in the middle of giving her an 'I know exactly why you don't want to dance the samba' look. Haruka simply looked away and unbuttoned her dress shirt midway, with her vest underneath, keeping her modesty. She untucked her shirt and looked over at Michiru,

"If you're going to prove something about sex appeal, you might want to change the way you're dressed." Instantly, the aqua-haired girl looked down at her clothes, and noticed she was still wearing her school uniform, so she took off her jumper and Hotaru took it from her hands. Haruka went to take her hand and she stopped midway through her action as Michiru brought her hands up to her blouse and slowly undid the top two buttons, revealing her exquisite neckline and causing Haruka to look away and breathe deeply to try and hide her blush. Leon sniggered before speaking loudly, much to the blonde's annoyance,

"Ruka, what's up? You don't look so hot." Yumi nudged her husband in the stomach and Setsuna laughed gently as she played the track and Yumi nodded appreciatively.

"I love this song." She murmured.

Haruka sighed deeply as the song started up, the gentle guitars filled the room and Haruka took Michiru's hand in her own. As soon as the tempo increased, she grabbed Michiru and roughly pulled the younger girl close to her, but Michiru became oddly flustered at the sudden contact. As soon as the percussion and drums kicked in Haruka instantly moved her body, her right leg shifting slightly and her foot slid back and she moved all her weight there, never once moving her left leg. Michiru immediately faltered, not used to the steps and stepped on Haruka's left foot. Haruka instantly let her go,

"Do you even know how to dance the samba!" Haruka almost yelled as she stooped to nurse her aching limb.

"Of course I know the samba! What were you dancing?" Haruka laughed a little,

"Don't tell me you only know ballroom samba?" Michiru immediately went red,

"There's only one samba!" Immediately Haruka doubled up in laughter and she nearly fell back onto the sofa,

"Of course, she doesn't have any sex appeal when dancing, she only knows ball room Latin!" She managed to choke out. Michiru became angry but Leon sighed and stood up, as did his wife.

"Haruka." Leon spoke firmly and he took off his top shirt only wearing his t-shirt, and his pants. Yumi turned to the nearly crying Michiru,

"Michiru, dear, Leon is half-Portugese and he used to teach Latin when I danced ballroom. In fact I used to dance professionally. I used to know ballroom-only dances too but he changed my outlook on them when we first danced together." Yumi gestured to Setsuna who instantly started the music again. Yumi looked at Haruka, who stood, no longer laughing and took her place beside Michiru. Leon's entire persona changed. He was no longer a gentle giant. He became an intense man, a smouldering, gorgeous, exotic stranger whose tanned skin glowed. He grabbed Yumi in a loving but tight embrace, and as the song started up again, Michiru felt herself being locked in a gaze now by the scarily intense Haruka. Her green eyes were fixed onto Michiru's blue ones, and Michiru found herself mesmerized, that is until Yumi spoke again, while her husband was moving her in perfect sync with her,

"You see, Michiru, ball room samba is good because it follows certain rules. Certain steps are samba and certain steps aren't; but really that's not what dancing is about... dancing is expression, dancing is another way of getting your feelings across." Leon caressed his wife's arm lovingly as he moved behind her and grabbed her hand in his and he moved it above and around them, his eyes were closed and he seemed to only follow the way his partner was, not leading but working together, bodies as one. Yumi spoke softly as she danced, "There are some dances, Latin mainly, that are not at all about anything other than the feelings you have for a loved one and for that to be successfully transferred to the dance floor, you need to have intensity, passion, lust, love, everything for the person you are dancing with... otherwise you have failed the dance. Do you understand?" Michiru nodded and found herself staring at Yumi and Leon, who had now finished their dance and were standing breathlessly in each other's arms. Michiru looked back at Haruka and found her eyes were still bearing into Michiru's. Michiru went to turn away but Haruka grabbed Michiru's face using her thumb and index finger and whispered to her,

"Don't look away, contact in every way is essential, Michiru," Haruka move her left hand to Michiru's hip and she grinned gently, "You need to be loose in every sense of the word."

"Haruka, I..." She didn't know what to say. Could Michiru Kaioh let go of her inhibitions and not worry about who saw her or what they said? Before Michiru could finish the music started from the beginning again. Yumi and Leon were sitting on the couch, exhausted, but watched the two with their undivided attention.

"Don't worry Michiru, just let go, you have to trust me." Michiru locked her eyes with the blonde as Haruka spoke the last part of her sentence and instantly Michiru found herself being overwhelmed by Haruka; her green eyes, the way she presented herself, the way she was holding Michiru's hand and the way her other hand was trembling slightly against Michiru's back. Michiru wasn't sure what was coming over her, but she couldn't help but smile at the blonde. Haruka's musky scent was so close to her now that it was driving her mad and Michiru couldn't stand it. This dance was as close as she could get for now, she had to take advantage of it.

_Bamboleo_

Haruka instantly moved her hips so they gently connected with Michiru's, sending a shiver down the younger girls spine, and she moved forwards, then backwards. Michiru found her body involuntarily 

working perfectly with the blonde's even though they were dancing fast at three steps to the musical bar. Seeing Michiru worry then look carefree caused Haruka to smile. Had she finally gotten the uptight Kaioh to let go? Only one way to find out, she thought. 

_Ese amor llega asi de esta manera_

_No tiene la culpa_

_Caballo le dan sabana_

_Porque es muy despreciado,_

_Por eso no te perdono llorar_

_Ese amor llega asi de esta manera_

_No tiene la culpa_

_Amor de compra y venta_

_Amor del mes pasado_

_Bebele, bembele, bembele_

Haruka spun herself around Michiru's slim frame and found Michiru without hesitation moved her arms, so they were posed by her side and moved with Haruka, once again without flaw. Michiru could even feel her hips being loose with the music and her hands somehow found their way to blonde's shoulders as the aqua-haired teen turned to her partner, causing Haruka to raise her eyebrows in intrigue. Haruka raised her hands above her head, Michiru's own hands in hers and Michiru found herself up so close to the blonde she could hear her breathe, feel her hot breathe, almost taste her lips. Michiru found herself gazing at the blonde's lips and she groaned gently, only to herself, but then she was ripped away as Haruka moved back. Their hands lowered, but one hand interlocked at shoulder length with Haruka leading the back spot movement, their toes both tapping on the floor behind them at the exact same moment. Michiru found herself smiling widely as the blond did not break her gaze once with the aqua-haired beauty.

_Bamboleo, bambolea_

_Porque mi vida, yo la prefiero vivir asi_

_Bamboleo, bambolea_

_Porque mi vida, yo la prefiero vivir asi_

Michiru couldn't help but smile when Haruka spun her on the spot and when Michiru returned to her spot, found the blond close, not uncomfortably close, in fact there was no such thing as uncomfortably close for Michiru when it involved Haruka. Then she felt Haruka spin her halfway again, causing Michiru to get that happy butterfly effect in her stomach again. Then she felt Haruka behind her, her right arm already snaked his way around Michiru's waist and caused the younger girl to almost catch her breath and become flustered again. Haruka moved her left hand along Michiru's slender left arm and raised it above them again, Michiru instinctively moved her free right hand around the blonde's neck and could feel Haruka's skin, her warmth. Her skin was so soft yet firm, it felt how Michiru always imagined it did; it was strong, like the blonde object of her affections.

_No tiene pardon de dios_

_Tu eres mi vida, la fortuna del destino_

_Pero el destino tendressa para dos_

_Lo mismo yo que ayer_

_Lo mismo soy yo_

_No te encuentro a l'abandon_

_Es imposible no te encuentro de verdad_

_Por eso un dia no cuentro si de nada_

_Lo mismo you que ayer_

_Yo pienso en ti_

Haruka moved Michiru into her more and their fingers entwined. Michiru was lead into three full spins around the room, their bodies moving from a high level to a half bow, and as Haruka let go on the third, Michiru could feel her body yearn for more, and she was not disappointed. Haruka grabbed her from behind and initiated the final conga steps of the samba. Breathing heavily down Michiru's neck, Michiru shuddered but once again her feet complied and she found her hands resting on the blonde's comfortably. As she looked up into Haruka's eyes for a split second she could swear that Haruka's eyes mirrored her own. The natural human desire... Michiru was sure Haruka lusted for her. Oh yes, in that instant, Michiru had never been so sure.

_  
Bamboleo, bambolea_

_Porque mi vida, yo la prefiero vivir asi_

_Bamboleo, bambolea_

_Porque mi vida, yo la prefiero vivir asi_

Michiru could feel Haruka avert her gaze since that step, and Haruka simply lifted her leg off of the floor and spun Michiru once more, causing the aqua-haired beauty to step back and nearly fall but Haruka grabbed her from around the waist in an instant. 'Any excuse, eh Tenoh?' Michiru could see the slightly guilty look in Haruka's eyes as she grabbed her and held onto her for a second too long. But then Haruka moved Michiru back toward the centre in one swooping and sliding step.

_  
Bamboleo, bambolea_

_Porque mi vida, yo la prefiero vivir asi_

_Bamboleo, bambolea_

_Porque mi vida, yo la prefiero vivir asi_

As Haruka finished her end of the dance with her hands around Michiru's waist the aqua-haired girl simply felt herself clinging to the blonde's shirt, almost overwhelmed with emotion. There was a silence, and Michiru could swear she could hear the blonde's heart beating rapidly.

"Wow. That was amazing!" Setsuna stood up, her eyes bulging in awe at the dance she just saw in front of her. Michiru looked up and found Haruka was panting heavily,

"You can let go, Michiru-san." Michiru blushed as she realized her position. She had not only her hands clutching at Haruka's shirt, her hands were dangerously close to her chest and her right leg was lifted off the ground and was halfway up Haruka's leg, touching the blonde's thigh closely.

"G-g-gomen, Haruka-san." Haruka simply smiled but looked at Michiru in confusion. Leon stood up and clapped loudly,

"Ruka! There was plenty of passion. I don't see what it is you were talking about!" 

"She didn't dance like that in the club."

"What did she dance?" Yumi stood up, now intrigued,

"Rumba, with Seiya." Hotaru spoke up and she was staring at Michiru in utter amazement. Yumi grinned widely,

"Ah says it all then, ne, Haruka? ... Maybe Michiru can only dance like that with you, huh?" Haruka looked at Michiru,

"Maybe. Man, I'm tired." Haruka sat down instantly on the couch and Setsuna looked at Michiru,

"Michiru, you have to show the club that dance... if we could get a couple to dance samba like that at the Winter comp, we'd be a shoe-in for sure." Haruka scoffed at this.

"The only person who could do that is Seiya, and he can only do it badly." 

Michiru stood not really listening, still in shock at how much she had let herself go... around Haruka... for Haruka. Leon touched Michiru's shoulder,

"Are you okay, Michiru?" She nodded her head quickly,

"Hai... I've just never danced like that... it was... something else." Haruka opened her semi-closed eyes and looked at Michiru,

"Did you enjoy it?" Michiru nodded honestly, Haruka smirked, "Me too. Thank you, Michiru."

The aqua-haired teen stared at the blonde in confusion.

"Thank you for what, Haruka?" The blonde grinned widely and closed her eyes again, seeming to be asleep, before she parted her mouth slightly and spoke,

"Thank you for trusting me, Michiru."

* * *

_Translation for Bamboleo _

_That love arrives this way, this way.  
It's not its fault.  
A horse that dances in vain.  
Because its so very scorned  
that's why it won't forgive your crying.  
That kind of love arrive this way.  
It's not its fault. _

_Love for sale.  
Love from in the past.  
Bembele, bembele, bembele,  
Bem, bembele, bembele _

_Chorus__  
Bamboleo, bambolea  
Because in my life. I prefer to live it that way.  
Bamboleo, bambolea  
Because in my life. I prefer to live it that way. _

_You are unforgivable  
You are my life, the fate of destiny,  
in the destiny of abandonment.  
Still the same as yesterday,  
I am just the same.  
I can't find you, in abandonment  
It's impossible, I really can't find you.  
That's why one day I can't tell if for nothing  
The same as yesterday,  
I'm thinking of you. _

_Chorus__  
Bamboleo, bambolea  
Because in my life. I prefer to live it that way.  
Bamboleo, bambolea  
Because in my life. I prefer to live it that way. _

Bamboleo, bambolea  
Because in my life. I prefer to live it that way.  
Bamboleo, bambolea  
Because in my life. I prefer to live it that way.

* * *

**A/N 2 - Good God, describing these dances are making me feel ill! Hope y'all enjoyed it.**


	6. The Beige Envelope Of Doom

**A/N – Oh my God, I'd like to say how utterly tiring all this is; Writing steps and making them sound less boring than they are is incredibly difficult and I have the biggest love/hate relationship with this story right now!! Ha! I would recommend that for the dance sequence to flow, you download the song mentioned with it – it is awesome and quite smexxi. **

**This is an early update because I did not expect so many reviews in such a short amount of time for my last chapter. I'm glad most of you liked it! (I chose samba as it is one of the most popular dances in Japan according to my sources) But I really was flattered with the kind words of my reviewers! It's the Easter weekend so due to my 4 day weekend you might have another update tomorrow or Monday :D Squee joy!**

**I own none of the songs or characters in this story aside from the O.C's that feature :D Anyway, on with the story! Enjoy! 

* * *

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**CHAPTER 6 – THE BEIGE ENVELOPE OF DOOM**

The day after the samba, Haruka made it clear to everyone that she was not going to repeat the samba with Michiru. Even though Setsuna begged, complimented the blonde to high heaven and even Hotaru gave the tomboy her puppy dog eyes and pleaded with her 'Haruka-papa'. And even after Michiru asked her Haruka was tempted to give in but decided against it. She couldn't let herself get dragged back into dancing with someone like that – just like with Keiko. But once everyone decided the stubborn blonde had made her mind up for sure, they all gave up. Haruka was glad, she had escaped the torture of being so close to Michiru and not being able to go further, little did she know that Michiru so desperately wanted the very same contact with the blonde again, as she desired it deeply.

The plus side was that since that dance, Haruka had become a little friendlier to Michiru and they had bonded deeply over a short period of time, joking, laughing, sharing dance tips and working in class well together.

However, it was two weeks after the samba in the dance class, the teacher was trying to get the class to associate the music with their bodies and their minds, to sync with the music, and usually Michiru would have found this easy if it wasn't for a certain short-haired blond standing against the wall, scowling, and looking down at the floor. Michiru hadn't seen Haruka that agitated since the tomboy spoke to Seiya and Keiko was mentioned. Michiru turned to her side and saw Seiya had a slightly disinterested look in his eyes today, almost as though he wasn't paying attention, or as though he didn't want to be there today. Before Michiru could think any further, Seiya smiled gently towards Michiru who politely smiled back and put her eyes straight forward, meeting the intense gaze of Haruka; she smiled to the blonde and Haruka weakly returned with her own smile.

"Miss Kaioh! Pay attention!" Michiru was instantly thrown from her reverie by the sensei, glaring at her clearly he had noticed she was not paying attention. Michiru mumbled out an apology and looked over to Haruka who seemed highly amused at the younger girl being scolded by the teacher.

Taiki, Setsuna, Yaten, Minako, Mamoru, Usagi, Seiya and Michiru were all standing in the middle of the classroom at this point. The rest of the club were sitting on the floor watching from the sidelines so to speak and in front of them stood their sensei, Mido-sensei. He was shaking his head.

"If none of you want to take this seriously, that's fine, but listen to me... the music is essential in your individual dances. This is not a joke. This is the Paso Doble. You need to take it seriously. Haruka, get the music and pair up with... um -" Just as the sensei's eyes fell to Michiru and her heart leapt for joy, the doors to the club opened and in walked a tall, beautiful girl with shoulder length red hair, she was in the school uniform for girls, but she had hitched her skirt up several inches and her shirt was unbuttoned to the middle, with only a strappy vest underneath to cover her modesty.

"I'm back, sensei, good as new." The girl smiled and half the girls in the room squealed and ran to her. The girls hugged her,

"Elza-chan!" Usagi screeched at the top of her lungs. The girls all dissipated as the sensei approached her, a deep frown across his face,

"Elza, you can't just barge in here!" She looked down and nodded her head,

"I know sensei, I'm sorry... but I'm still in this club and I've been memorizing music and steps! You can ask Setsuna, she brought it to me! And I've already missed one week because of my sprained ankle and I really need to catch up, sensei!" She bowed to the man and he pursed his lips and looked over at Haruka,

"Elza, there aren't enough boys to take part as your partner here." Elza sighed and looked over at Haruka who was trying to hide in the corner.

"Ne, Haruka-san... you aren't hiding from me, are you?" Haruka instantly froze and grinned; similar to the one her dad had. To everyone else it seemed goofy, but to Michiru the smile suited Haruka, she looked adorable.

"No, Elza-chan, why would I be hiding from you?" Elza cocked an eyebrow and folded her arms while tapping her left foot on the floor,

"Jeez, I don't know... how about because you nearly destroyed my foot at the track over the summer?!" Haruka sweat-dropped and looked at Elza,

"Ah yes... that... er...sorry?" Elza laughed at her friend.

"I take it Mina-chan gave you my message?" Haruka frowned in deep concentration while Michiru had to bite her lip to keep her from saying anything out loud about how much she wanted to smother the blonde in her deep, passionate kisses because she thought Haruka looked adorable when she thought deeply. Eventually Haruka snapped her fingers and smiled.

"Yes! She told me that you couldn't wait to get your hands all over me." Elza looked over at Minako and burst into laughter,

"Well, she wasn't wrong. I can't kill you effectively unless I use my hands, Tenoh!" Michiru looked over at Minako,

"What happened between those two?" Minako burst into laughter and Elza turned around, Michiru bowed.

"Michiru Kaioh." Elza bowed back and she smiled in a friendly manner at Michiru,

"I'm Elza Gray... you want to know what this baka did to me, huh?" Haruka took offence at that,

"Hey, I'm no baka!" Elza held her hand up and silenced the blonde with a glare.

"Well, let me tell Michiru-san what you did to me, and we'll let her decide if you're a baka or not, huh?" Haruka instantly hung her head.

"I'm a baka." Elza giggled at Haruka's slight confession.

_The heat is blazing all around, and it doesn't help Haruka to be in a heavy fire suit. She takes her helmet off and wipes her sweat away with a rag beside her car. A Honda. She's in the junior league known as Formula Nippon. Elza is sitting by her team of mechanics, with a headset on, she's in charge of operations here._

"_Get your ass back in the Honda, Tenoh!" Haruka turns to her and glares,_

"_I'm boiling hot, is it ready to go? 'Cos I only want to get out there and race it." Haruka looked at Elza who checked several of sheets in front of her. She nodded but then added,_

"_We've tried something new out with the brakes, they may seem spongy but don't worry, they're just sensitive. Take a lap, see how you like it." Haruka grins widely before jumping into her car, all the mechanics and staff move out of the way and stand by, preparing themselves to be blown away by the skill of the young driver named Haruka Tenoh._

_Haruka takes the first two bends easily and grins to herself as she easily takes an S-bend. Haruka taps the steering wheel rhythmically, seeming to thoroughly enjoy the speed of her vehicle and the calming effect it has on her. She approaches the pit stop again and as she is about to go in, she presses down o the brake hard, and at first feels no response, so she takes her foot off and looks down, and presses again but this time only the top part and as she regains control, she has stopped, butt five feet over her usual line._

"_ARGH! Tenoh, I am going to kill you!" Haruka stares out of her car and looks down at Elza... only to see her front tyre has stopped over the last three toes of Elza's foot._

"_Oh shit, Elza I am so sorry." Elza doesn't seem to have heard her, Haruka backs the car off of her foot and Elza grabs it in agony, two mechanics help her sit down and the medic rushes to her,_

"_Haruka, you baka, this had better not affect my track season!"_

Michiru giggled at the thought of Haruka racing like some professional but she was shaken from her reverie when Elza glared at Haruka,

"Seven weeks... you idiot... seven weeks to heal my foot properly... three broken toes, if this had affected my track career I would have beaten you to death with my shoe." Haruka looked up and smiled sheepishly.

"I said sorry." The sensei growled in frustration and he stamped his foot, gaining everyone's attention,

"This is not a hang-out place. This is a place to dance! Talk about your broken toes outside of my lesson! In here you dance!" Elza grinned and took off her blazer, throwing it on the floor,

"With pleasure, sensei, it's why I came here... in fact, before I came in... I swear I heard the words paso doble." The second Elza stopped speaking she grinned but Haruka began to laugh loudly,

"You loser! You were totally hanging outside the door, waiting to make your grand entrance for the Paso!" Haruka grabbed her stomach as she laughed at Elza's reaction, which was a mixture between a death glare and utter embarrassment.

"Regardless, Haruka-san... I have come here to dance and I think you owe me. Don't you?" Haruka raised her eyebrow and approached Elza, standing about two feet away;

"You want to dance with me?" Elza raised an eyebrow and shook her head,

"I said you owe me... not that I wanted to." She grinned and Haruka smiled.

"Shall we Paso, senorita?" Elza giggled as Haruka held her hand out. The sensei stepped forward and puffed his chest out a little trying to assert his authority,

"I never said you two could dance." Haruka grinned at her sensei.

"You want to show this sorry bunch how to do it right, right?" The sensei grinned,

"Fine, Tenoh. I choose the music. Make it look how I expect from you." Haruka didn't reply but instead she held Elza's gaze for a moment, and she flickered her eyes to Michiru. The sensei was rummaging through several CDs for music, and Usagi became ecstatic.

"Wow, I can't believe we finally get to see Haruka-san's Paso... and with Elza-chan... I heard that even though Haruka and Keiko danced well, no-one can top this Paso. I've heard this has so much chemistry between the two!" Usagi clapped her hands excitedly. Seiya scoffed then he spoke quietly but loud enough for Michiru to hear,

"Well, it's not hard to dance Latin when you're screwing each other for real." Michiru's eyes widened and she looked over to Haruka and Elza and was shocked at what she saw. Elza had her hands around Haruka's neck already and the two were laughing at some form of private joke. Michiru looked away, instantly frowning. Setsuna looked down at her,

"Michiru, what's wrong?" Michiru refused to raise her head,

"Nothing, I just have a headache." How lame, thought Michiru to herself, but before Setsuna could question her obvious lie, the sound of distorted scratching and soft trumpets filled the air... this was Paso music? It was too modern, thought Michiru. Haruka listened for a moment and a gentle smile formed on her face, Elza stepped away from her,

"Remember this, Elza-chan?" Elza nodded gently,

"The night at Hachi's." She said, more to herself than anyone else. Haruka moved so she was standing about six feet away from her when the trumpets were accompanied by a teasing yet commanding chime, beautiful, elegant and passionate in all its glory.

"Espana Cani, this song is perfect for their Paso." Setsuna spoke in a matter-of-fact tone and this further intrigued Michiru although she now found it hard to even look at Haruka. Seiya scoffed again and looked away from the dance in disgust. Michiru found her eyes making their way back to the blonde and her new dance partner.

Haruka and Elza sharply joined their hands four beats into it, their heads moving in perfect synchronicity when they jerked from side to side, in perfect tandem with their arms, guiding their every step. Haruka had her eyes closed and took two deep steps forward with Elza, whose legs seemed elegant when stretched behind her body, following Haruka's every lead. The blonde seemed to be thinking deeply about something and she let out a low growl which caused Michiru to almost forget her jealousy and go back to desiring the blonde's supple flesh but this desire was quickly squashed when the aqua haired teen saw how close Haruka was to Elza. Her eyes flashed with envy and anger as she saw Elza and Haruka were practically chest to chest while their hands on the left side where raised up, their right at shoulder level. As soon as the two dancers were pressed close together, they tore away from each other, their flamenco taps each executed to perfection while still they remained the very essence of Paso. Haruka was in her element thought Michiru, the Paso is a dance created for Haruka, her personality; Cocky, arrogant, self-assured, she was challenging Elza and Elza was challenging her. Haruka was proud and tall in this dance but she was being controlled by the compliance of her partner. Elza was haughty yet flirtatious, everything Michiru thought right then that Haruka wanted in a partner.

The music began to speed up, and Haruka seemed to be throwing Elza about in the dance, but Elza was pushing herself away in their steps; twists and a coup de plique, she was resisting Haruka. The music paused momentarily, then the two took their stance, Haruka gave in, she danced towards Elza, her only desire in this dance, as the matador was to have the affections of her partner, Haruka began to follow Elza, to demand her every step with her intensity, their arms interlocking, Haruka's gaze intently fixed on Elza, every stomp their feet made, demanding attention, Elza's especially, she was in control of the dance now.

Haruka suddenly went back on a toe lead, then a heel and Elza followed suit, Haruka grabbed Elza's right hand, held it high and turned her three times. The two barely had their hand touching, but all this was enough to send Michiru mad with desire to be that close to the blonde again. Elza finally took Haruka's hand, as she pressed herself closer to the blonde, that arrogant smile suddenly making itself at home on the tomboy's face. Haruka kept her hands placed at shoulder height on Elza's back, holding her close, while her eyes closed, almost seeming to be lost in the dance. Then Haruka pushed her away. Elza spun deliberately away and Haruka pushed her to the floor as the music came to its climax, Elza had given in to the matador. Simple, effective... beautiful. That was the only way to describe the dance Michiru had just seen.

"Not bad, Tenoh, but I've had better." Elza said smugly as she stood up. Haruka rolled her eyes,

"Liar." Haruka stood, a little out of breath and looked to Michiru to say something, but found the girl looking at her with a mixture of awe and... jealousy? Haruka scrunched her face in confusion. Mida-sensei however spoke before anyone else had the chance to.

"It's like the old pro's say... it's like riding a bike… once you learn, you never forget." Taiki laughed,

"Or once you've perfected it that's all there is to it." Haruka smiled at Taiki.

"It's just a fun dance." Haruka replied non chalantly. Michiru took this opportunity to take some revenge on Haruka, 

"You seemed to enjoy that dance, that's for sure. I couldn't fault you." Haruka looked suspiciously at Michiru and she said nothing. Michiru continued to speak, "Technically that is. It seemed to lack... a certain je ne sais quoi... passion perhaps?" Haruka looked at Michiru then smirked, much to the younger girl's annoyance,

"Perhaps. Perhaps dancing the Paso with a friend can be a little inhibiting to the senses that really want to let go."

"So you don't always dance with passion to every dance?" Haruka's smirk disappeared, and in its place a genuine half-smile, it almost melted Michiru on the spot.

"It depends on the partner more than the dance." Michiru was silent and everyone looked at their exchange of words in confusion. Haruka coughed, to clear her throat,

"I'm going to get a glass of water." She went to leave the room and Elza made sure to follow her.

"Hey Haru-chan, what was all that about?" Haruka took a cup from the water dispenser and gulped it all down. She ignored Elza, who could only sigh,

"If you don't answer me, I'm going to just have to ask louder aren't I?" Haruka turned to face her speaker and she was frowning again,

"It's Michiru... san. I just reminded myself I have to teach her how to tango with Seiya... with passion. Gross." Elza contorted her face into a look of empathy,

"Hai, and I have to see Seiya dance with passion to another woman that isn't me." Haruka shuddered,

"Life is made even grosser that you like him. He's a waste of space." Elza shrugged,

"I've liked him for a long time, Ruka-chan." Haruka shrugged,

"Still... I know he's not going to show up at the Winter Comps... just like at the Grand Finals. It's what he does! And Michiru... kami-sama, she'll be so upset, the girls have been telling me how much she's looking forward to the comps. And just like last time, it will be up to me to pick up all the pieces." Haruka sighed deeply as she contemplated the entire possible play of events in her head.

"Now what reason do you have to think like that, Tenoh?" Elza and Haruka whipped their heads around and saw Seiya standing in the doorway. He quietly closed the door to the classroom behind him. Haruka stood, her nostrils flared,

"You know exactly why I think that. My reason came in the mail today... just like yours." The blonde spat every word with anger. Seiya simply cocked an eyebrow and he opened his jacket pocket, revealing a beige envelope. He held it up and waved it teasingly, he grinned as he saw Haruka look away.

"Ha! And there was me thinking I could outdo you for once, Tenoh-san." Seiya locked eyes with the blonde as she finally raised her head,

"At least I won't be letting anyone down Seiya, no-one needs me there at Winter Comps. You know this now and you're still going ahead with this... even when you know that –" Seiya chuckled gently causing Haruka to abruptly stop speaking, he walked towards her as he spoke,

"You're not really that blonde are you? Look at the time? The event should be over at 4pm. The dance is at 6:30pm. I'll make it in time." Haruka shook her head at the boy before her and spoke quietly but angrily,

"No, you won't. It's a three hour drive, even for me, Kou-san!" Seiya scowled as Haruka said that,

"Listen to me, Tenoh... I know that you are just dying for me to fuck up... I'm not giving you that satisfaction, got it?!" Seiya finished by crossing his arms, and scowling. Haruka stood up, and went to talk back into the classroom, before she did, she stopped, standing beside Seiya but not even bothering to look at him,

"If you let her down, Seiya, I will hurt you. You understand me?" Haruka went to move but the sound of Seiya chuckling caught her attention, she looked to Elza who shrugged she didn't have a clue why he was laughing either.

"Oh, I get it Haruka," Seiya's voice was filled with malicious glee as he continued to speak, "You like her... am I right? Too bad you don't have the guts to compete again. It seemed like she really wanted to dance with you." 

Haruka could feel her jaw clench, she closed her eyes, to focus and mostly to prevent her fist from making contact with his jaw, after a moment she opened her eyes and looked at him, and anger filled her entire body,

"At least, if I was her partner, I wouldn't let her down." Seiya turned to Haruka,

"So you do like her?" He smiled as Haruka failed to respond. Elza cleared her throat.

"We should get back inside. We don't want Mido-sensei to be pissed at any time-wasting, right?" Elza looked to both of them, both seemingly unyielding in their positions. Elza placed a hand gently on Haruka's shoulder and this jerked the blonde from her trance. She was about to make her way into the classroom after Seiya but Elza jerked her backwards with a firm grip on her arm. Haruka yelped loudly but Elza quickly led her to the nearest empty classroom.

"Ow! Elza! Dammit, next time not so rough! And didn't you just say that you didn't want to waste anymore time?" Elza completely ignored the blonde and she bombarded her with questions.

"What is going on? What'd I miss? What's the deal with you and Michiru? What's that envelope about?!" Haruka rubbed her temples. Sometimes Elza was a little too much at times. The blonde sighed and leaned against the closed classroom door. Elza sighed audibly.

"You know as well as I do, I'm just gonna sit here and wait for you to spill the info I know you're hiding from me... but I do have other things to do, so just talk to me." Haruka looked out of the window and sighed deeply,

"I think she's pissed off at me. I'm not sure why. And all those questions about passion and dancing!"

"Have you danced with her?" Haruka nodded at Elza's question,

"Yeah. At my home, I invited her for dinner and my parents love her. My mum and dad showed her their samba. It kind of weirded me out seeing my parents that close again but never mind about that... we danced samba and she danced like no-one I had ever danced with before, no offence, Elza, 

but I had to hold myself back from dragging her up to my room and – and well, I'm sure you can imagine what I wanted to do with her in my room." Elza stifled a giggle and stood once more, approaching Haruka and stood beside her, her back now against the classroom door too.

"Have you told her all this?" The blonde laughed loudly at Elza's question and shook her head.

"Hell no! Why would I do that?" Elza threw her hands up in despair and as she brought them down she smacked Haruka at the back of her head,

"You're an idiot and you're making my life much more difficult than it needs to be!" She looked at Haruka's confused face and she shook her head gently, "Why haven't you told her?"

"Um, 'cos, it's obvious she's into Makoto. And I'm not interfering in that drama."

"Are you sure she's into Mako-chan?" Haruka nods defiantly,

"Oh yes! I saw how the blush crept up her face every time she saw Mako-chan." Elza giggled,

"Ah, even if that's true, what would Ami say huh? 'Um Michiru, I'm kinda in the closet except for when I'm with all friends, and I'd appreciate it if you stopped hitting on my girl?'" Haruka laughed with Elza, then she stopped, suddenly her features became downcast. Elza didn't need to guess but she was sure that Haruka was thinking of her situation with Michiru and Seiya.

"Why won't he turn up? What's in the envelope, Haru-chan?" Haruka sighed and reached into her jeans back pocket and passed a white envelope over to Elza. On the envelope was a letter from 'Formula Nippon'; the Japanese F2 racing board. Elza opened the letter and read its contents carefully as Haruka made her way to the empty teacher's desk and sat on it. Elza looked at Haruka, eyes widening and she screeched,

"Haruka, this is great! You've always wanted this! I remember you always said that you were gonna be the first Japanese person to win the Nippon series more than once since Satoshi Motoyama! And Ralf Schumacher was the last person to go straight to F1 after winning it in '96! And - ... and why aren't you happy?" Elza only now took in her blonde friend's expression. It was sorrow like she had never seen on Haruka. The racer sighed, and spoke softly,

"I know... it's all I ever wanted... but did you read all of it? The date of my sponsor meeting? How long I'll be away from Japan?" Elza looked back down at the letter and her eyes softened as she looked at her friend,

"Haru-chan, it's Fuji Speedway... it's an honour and it's in a month's time, then after that Suzuka Circuit for sure... this is the stuff that dreams are made of, Haruka. Hey, I know what you're thinking, and no-one would think you're bailing out on them."

"Don't you see? I am bailing!" Haruka almost yelled. "If I pass Fuji Speedway, I go to Suzuka for time trials on the 24th and regardless of what happens there, I travel the F1 circuit, the letter pretty much says that Honda have asked for me! I'll be gone for a whole year... away from everyone and I have less than a month and a half!" Elza looked Haruka in the eyes,

"Haruka, speak to me. What is worrying you so much that you've told no-one but me this?"

"If I'm gone for a year, then - then I'll have lost my chance with Michiru and I can't go! I needed to at least try." Elza, touched by her friend's sensitivity and honesty, smiled. She chuckled gently,

"You know Haru-chan, maybe you should go and talk to her. Grab your chance now. She seems to value you... so stop sitting here sulking like some sad, mopey teenager and go be the horny Haruka we all know and kind of love! Go!" Elza shoved Haruka off the desk and caused the blonde to fall straight on her backside. She stood up instantly rubbing her ass to emphasize her 'pain.'

"That hurt, Elza!" Elza sniggered and jumped off of the desk and opened the classroom door,

"Get over it, you're a big girl." Haruka rolled her eyes and walked out of the classroom with her friend, almost instantly bumping into a smaller figure. As Haruka looked down, she saw that the figure she had in fact bumped into was Michiru. Haruka could only think about how bad her day was going.

"Gomen, Michiru-san." As the tall blonde leant down to help the smaller girl up, Michiru greeted her with that heart-melting smile.

"It's okay, Haruka-chan. How are you?" Haruka opened her mouth to respond but it seemed as though her brain had gone into shutdown mode. She couldn't think of a thing to say. Seiya smirked at this and put his arm around Michiru's waist, the younger girl jolted at his touch and looked at Seiya, a look of shock plastered across her features. Haruka seemed to have snapped out of her state and looked at the two.

"Haruka, if you are going to waste our time, then do so when we are not trying to rehearse... Michiru, let's go over the steps in another classroom." Michiru managed to get out of Seiya's grasp and she smiled politely. She looked to Haruka; Haruka had changed, she had her arms folded across her chest, her head turned the other direction and her seemingly common scowl was on her face again.

"Haruka, are you okay?" As Michiru stepped forward to check her friend, Haruka stepped around her, arms still folded.

"I'm fine." Haruka moved back into the classroom to collect her things, leaving Elza to grin nervously and shoo away Haruka's action to the completely dumbfounded Michiru and well aware Seiya.

"Er... Haruka is just very stressed right now." Elza smiled as she looked into the classroom. Michiru took a deep breath and looked at Elza,

"Well, I hope you look after her well, she's lucky to have you Elza-chan. You seem loyal and... very loving." Elza's eyes doubled in size.

"Whu-what? Loving? Loyal? What are you talking about Kaioh-san?" Michiru's face tinged a slight pink and Seiya gulped nervously, he knew this conversation was not going to go the way he would have liked. Michiru cleared her throat,

"Well, it's just that you two are so close... and as her lover I hope you can help Haruka with whatever it is that's troubling her." Michiru waited for a response, then lifted her head only to find a mortified Elza having to lean against a wall for support before she fell over in shock. 

"Michiru we should go and practice –" Seiya was cut off by Elza's shriek,

"LOVERS?! Where the hell did you get that idea from?" Michiru looked at Seiya who avoided her gaze, then Michiru felt her face burn intensely, Elza started to laugh heartily though.

"Oh my God, Haru-chan is going to die when she hears that one! I don't know who told you that one Kaioh but that's funny... I'm just Haruka's friend, nothing more!" Elza was still giggling, Michiru fought the urge to smile at the news; Haruka and Elza weren't lovers! Yes! But – but why did Seiya tell her that? Michiru looked up to Seiya who was still avoiding eye contact. Elza fially controlled herself.

"Haha, oh man, that was good, I needed that laugh, thanks Michiru-san! I better go back tot he class, but that was good!" Elza stumbled into the classroom still laughing. Hard.

In the classroom Haruka was grabbing her CDs, her jacket and bag while grumbling under her breath. Suddenly she heard Elza giggling as she approached her, Elza wiped a tear from her eye and smiled brightly,

"Oh man, wanna hear something funny?" Haruka didn't respond but Elza carried on speaking, "Your little girlfriend thought we were lovers!"

"She's not my girlfriend! She – wait! What? Lovers?! What the hell did you say to that?!" Elza cocked an eyebrow,

"I told her she was right and oh baby how we do it every single night." Haruka instantly threw a disapproving look as she heard the monotonous tone Elza used to speak to her.

"Shut up, Elza! Still, it's not funny... where did she hear a rumour like that?" Elza shrugged but before any of them could think any further, Setsuna spoke from behind Haruka, almost appearing from nowhere,

"I heard Seiya say a crude remark during your Paso. Maybe that was the cause?" The blonde could feel her anger rising all over her body,

"Seiya? I should have known. Trust him to try and wreck every reationship I have with every girl."

"Relationship?" Elza smirked as she pointed out that word to Haruka who instantly sweat-dropped,

"I meant as in friendship! Screw this, I'm going home!" Haruka began to walk to the exit, slowly Hotaru and Setsuna followed her.

"I hate him, so very much." Haruka didn't really bother about the volume with which she spoke this statement, which probably explains why Setsuna and Hotaru heard them as they were exiting the dance class.

"Haru-chan, you shouldn't speak so ill of people." Setsuna sounded like a mother scolding he child, Haruka turned to face Setsuna and she shrugged.

"I don't care... It doesn't matter. I won't have to put up with it soon." Without explaining anymore, Haruka decided to just ignore everyone and walked away, not knowing how to deal with the situation placed in front of her. Should she stay involved as Michiru's friend but ignore the inevitable that Seiya would let her down? If Haruka stayed close, even if she acted on her feelings, as the end of the day on the 24th she wouldn't even be there to comfort the girl when the inevitable happened, when Seiya would wreck the Winter Comps for her. And where would Haruka be? She too would be off somewhere, 'oh God, I'd be letting Michiru down either way' the tomboy thought to herself. Haruka made her way swiftly to her car, followed by a panting and breathless Hotaru and Setsuna as they tried to get their ride home too. 

The ride home was quiet though as Setsuna and Hotaru knew that Haruka needed some time to think; Michiru had affected her greatly and now Haruka seemed torn on something. Haruka needed some solitude. She needed to feel safe and be with her own thoughts right now, more than anything.

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**A/N 2 - Ha! If you're not bored and made it this far then R&R - my ego needs it.**

**A quick note - I'm removing The Way She Does to do some much needed rewriting to it, but should have it reposted and back up to scratch in about May though!**


	7. Forget Her

**A/N - Well, here is the earlier update (4 day weekends really are awesome!), and if this disappoints y'all then I'm sorry but I'm taking abreak from all the dancing (as it really is causing me to be suicidal!) and focusing on character development and all that jazz. Anyhoo thanks to all my reviewers, who have been really supportive and seem to like this story.

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CHAPTER 7 – FORGET HER

As soon as Haruka stormed into her house, with Hotaru and Setsuna walking slowly behind her, Yumi and Leon knew they had to talk to their daughter. Leon looked at Yumi,

"Is it a girl thing?" Yumi shrugged and she looked up at the stairs, where Haruka decided to storm up to.

"I think it may be more of a girl in love with another girl thing." Leon formed an 'o' with his mouth,

"This is where I go and speak to her about love, isn't it?" Yumi nodded and kissed her husband's forehead,

"Nothing gets past you does it, my love?" Leon rolled his eyes and stood up,

"Okay, well... wish me luck." Leon made his way up the stairs and he stopped outside of Haruka's door and leaned his ear against it, trying to listen out for any sounds before he knocked. He could hear nothing. It was eerily quiet. He stood back, slightly confused when he heard the bathroom door open from the other end of the corridor and Haruka leaned against the doorframe,

"What are you doing, dad?" Leon grinned and looked over at her,

"I was seeing if you were okay. You seemed really upset when you came in." Haruka walked towards her room and opened the door, leaving it open behind her for her dad to walk in,

"Dad, your subtlety amazes me." The blond sat on her bed and opened up a racing magazine. Leon walked into the room and sat at the other end of the bed, looking at his daughter. He then spoke up in English,

"So, why are you so miserable, Haruka?" Haruka looked up at him, sighed then walked over to her schoolbag, and took out the envelope from the front of her bag and threw it towards her father. He opened it while Haruka stood against her wall, her arms folded and her gaze directed out the window. Leon, read the letter out loud,

"Dear Tenoh-san, we are writing to inform you that due to your impressive record in Formula Nippon 3000, we are inviting you and ten other exclusive racers from around Japan to compete in a time trial to be held at Fuji Speedway on December 10th. Those who qualify will be advancing to the Suzuka Circuit for a preliminary F1 time trial. We are hoping, Tenoh-san, you will be prepared to go on a one year tour with the Honda F1 team... Blah blah blah... Haruka this is great!" Leon looked up to meet his daughter's gaze and saw she was still staring out of the window,

"Yeah, it's great, right?" Haruka finally made her way to her bed and sat down again. Leon folded up the envelope and placed it on her bedside table,

"You don't sound happy about it." Haruka laughed bitterly and Leon smiled, "Wanna talk about it?"

"Nope!" Leon grinned wider and looked at Haruka,

"Why not? Scared that I'll make fun? 'Cos if that's the case, I'll totally wait till tomorrow before I crack a single joke!" Haruka laughed, this time not at all bitterly,

"You're sad, old man." Leon ruffled Haruka's blonde hair and grinned,

"Yeah, but anything to see my little girl smile," Haruka scowled at him, "So... tell me what's on your mind, Ruka." Leon sat on the floor, with his legs crossed and looked up at his daughter. Haruka grabbed her pillow and gave it a squeeze,

"Michiru." Leon jumped up and threw his fist in the air,

"I knew it! Haha I knew it! You have a huge crush on her don't you?" Leon looked down and was met with Haruka's death glare. He sweat-dropped and instantly sat down, he ran a hand through his hair and grinned widely.

"I mean, Michiru, huh? What about her?" Haruka brought her knees up to her chest and closed her eyes,

"Should I help her, otou-san?" Leon looked confused,

"I thought you were already helping her in class, Ruka." Haruka shook her head,

"No, not in class. The Winter Comps. Seiya won't be there, and before you ask why, he got the same letter I did. Seiya... he got a letter from the Nippon Stars agency too, it was in the letter, at the bottom, see? The joint event we have to go to? He's Michiru's partner for the Winter Comps and I'm not sure if I should tell her he will let her down. I mean, he said he was going to the comps but, oh I don't know!" Leon grabbed the letter and looked down at the bottom,

"The main event dinner is the 24th... did he say for sure he was going to the comps?" Haruka was still for a moment before closing her eyes and speaking.

"Seiya has probably been offered a demo recording contract with a major studio. Performing with today's biggest stars... you think he's going to pass that up for a school district dance competition?" Leon was silent,

"And what can you do about this, Ruka?" Leon watched his daughter as she slowly lifted her head,

"I wanted to dance with Michiru, at the comps... the racing, if I'm so good, they'll only offer it to me again next year. This year's comps mean a lot to Michiru. And she means a lot to me."

Leon stood up with a completely shocked look on his face,

"Ruka, you want to pass over a racing contract to enter a comp, is that what you're saying? For a girl?" Haruka simply nodded as her father continued to speak, somewhat incredulously, "But you said that you never would... I mean, Keiko broke your heart! Have you recovered from that properly yet?"

"I know! I know what I said, but it's Michiru! She makes me want to! I want to be with her dammit!" Leon's expression softened as he looked at his only child,

"Ruka," He sat beside her and lovingly stroked her hair and she fought back some tears, "If this girl makes you feel like that, then that's great... have you told her this?" Haruka shook her head,

"No... I think she likes Makoto... or Seiya... I have no idea if it's worth telling her this." Before Haruka could second-guess herself further, Leon spoke gently to Haruka.

"So? Is it really your problem if he fails her?"

"What? Have you lost your mind, old man?"

"Haruka, all I'm saying is this... you're under no obligation to tell her, leave it up to Seiya. I know you don't want to see her get hurt, but if you're around her and when the night comes, she finds out that he's not there, then that you knew all along and said nothing, wouldn't that hurt her more? Maybe you should distance yourself from her. Just till after the comps."

"Okay dad, I totally wasn't expecting that." Haruka couldn't believe her dad said every one of her doubts about her decision so candidly, was she really that transparent? While Haruka was still in a state of shock Leon chuckled gently while standing,

"Hey, parents only get one 'shock your kid with your answer' card... and I just used mine up." Leon smiled at his daughter and headed to exit the room, but stopped just short of closing the door

"Ruka, you've been offered the chance to chase your dreams, to do your best at the tracks and -"

"And what dad?"

"And I want you to be sure about what you want. It might be easier to forget about her for a bit, you know? I know it sounds cold, but aside from looking like a jealous fool 'til the night, and God forbid that jackass Seiya does show up, you'll then look a completely idiotic jealous fool." Haruka didn't respond, but just sat on her bed, the pillow close to her, her eyes closed as she tried to fight all her emotions at once. Leon, stood on the other side of the now closed door and he sighed as he remembered the events after the Winter Comps last year.

"_What the hell?! What do you mean she just ran away, Hotaru?" Leon couldn't help but be worried about the news Hotaru just ran out to tell them. Leon and Yumi were sitting in the spectator area surrounding the dance-floor. Hotaru looked hysterical and near tears,_

"_I'm sorry, Leon-papa... but Setsuna and Mako-chan told me Keiko swapped for Seiya in the last minute... and Haruka just left! I don't know where she's gone! I'm sorry!" Hotaru then let her tears out. Yumi instantly comforted the smaller girl,_

"_Shh, it's okay, hime-chan... did you see where she drove off to?" Hotaru shook her head. Leon stroked the girl's hair lovingly, as he so often did with his Ruka. Leon straightened his clothes out, a fierce look took over his persona;_

"_I'll go and get her." Yumi looked up at him,_

"_Where do you think she is?" Leon smirked and looked towards the exit._

"_If I know Ruka, she'll be in a place where she feels free." Leon left the room in search of his daughter. He jumped into his car, a Koenigsaag CC and began his drive for Haruka. He was going to search all of downtown Tokyo and in all the clubs where Haruka could go and try and drown her troubles. However, Leon got the feeling, that right now after being heart-broken, she wanted to be left alone. She wouldn't want to be around people, and that's when Leon remembered the place where Haruka would always run to when she was a child; where she could pretend none of her life was real and live in the make-believe she could conjure up in that instant, in her private haven._

_Leon pulled into the beach's parking lot a little while later and saw Haruka's car a few bays away. He sighed in relief, glad that he had found her. His eyes scanned the beach and soon they found a figure on one of the beach's cliffs, standing by the railings._

_Haruka had her arms outstretched and was enjoying the feel of the wind beating against her body._

_Leon silently made his way up to Haruka, and stood a good ten meters behind her, not wanting to interrupt her moment._

"_What is it, otou-san?" Haruka still had her eyes closed and the wind was howling but Leon could clearly make out the cracking that as evident in her voice._

"_How did you know I was here?" Haruka turned around as her father spoke; her eyes were red from crying but she tried to hide that by lowering her head so her hair covered them,_

"_The wind blew your awful cologne into my direction." Leon laughed at Haruka's joke,_

"_Hey, your mother made me wear it!" There was a silence. Leon sat at a bench and gestured for Haruka to join him. She slowly made her way to her father._

"_How are you, Ruka?" Haruka laughed bitterly,_

"_My girlfriend dumped me for my best friend and didn't tell me till one of the most important nights of the year. I feel great!" Her sarcasm was not lost on her father, who looked at her with a look of love only a father can give,_

"_I'm sorry, Ruka... I don't know what to say to you to be honest."_

"_Why?" Leon was about to respond when he realized that Haruka didn't mean why didn't he have an answer, but why did Keiko do that to her._

"_I don't know baby girl, sometimes people do things to people without thinking themselves... it's an unfortunate fact." Haruka begin to whimper a little and a tear escaped her eye,_

"_But why with him? Why now? How could she do this to me, otou-san?!" Haruka lost control and began to sob uncontrollably into her father's shirt, Leon could pinpoint the exact moment his own heart broke at having to see Haruka's pain. _

"_I don't know, hime... I don't know." He stroked his daughter's hair lovingly and felt at a loss for what to say and do._

"_I was in love with her dad! How could she break my heart like that?!" As Haruka became a mass of tears and sorrow, Leon fought back his own tears. He had finally experienced a pain unlike any other. The pain of his child being hurt. She was in agony, and he could do nothing about it. He could do nothing to help her. He tightened his hold on his child and their embrace connected them in a way only a father can make his daughter feel protected,_

"_I will never let anyone hurt you again, Ruka. I swear." Leon's whisper was lost on Haruka who was still crying into his shirt, soaking his tie and jacket with her tears too._

Leon opened his eyes and fought back those tears again,

"I can't let her go through that again." Leon spoke only to himself, but he needed to reassure himself that everything he did for Haruka was for her best interest.

As Leon entered the living room, Setsuna, Yumi and Hotaru kept their eyes on him, waiting patiently until he spoke. Instead he went to the kitchen and grabbed a cold beer from the fridge. He opened it and drank half the liquid in one gulp. He turned to the three women,

"Haruka has been offered a time trial for F1, at Fuji on the 10th and Suzuka on the 24th. She'll be gone in the New Year to train with Honda." The three sets of jaws hit the floor at the same time,

"That's great news!" Yumi jumped up, clapping, as did Hotaru. Setsuna was about to join in when she suddenly remembered something,

"Wait, the 24th? But that's the same day as Winter Comps!" Leon nodded and sat down, his beer in his hand.

"She's serious about Michiru... how does Michiru feel about her, do you know?" Hotaru shrugged but Setsuna was pensive.

"Michiru? She is complicated to figure out. She has a constant facade on, Leon-sama. Whether or not she feels anything for Haruka that is beyond friendship is something only she knows. Is everything okay?" Leon finished his beer and put the empty can on the table. He sat back and rubbed his temples gently,

"I don't know Sets. Ruka says she wants to be with her. I can't let her get hurt again, I mean, you remember what she was like after Keiko right? I wish this was easier! Women are just too confusing." Instantly Leon was met with three scowls,

"Gomen! Not you three!" Hotaru stood up and looked up the stairs, almost wanting to run up there to her Haruka-papa.

"It's so sad, isn't it? Haruka gets her chance to drive professionally and she wants to pursue her heart. Thank kami that her heart has mended enough to let her feel for another though, ne?" There was silence. Sometimes Hotaru was wiser than her years. Then Hotaru's eyes beamed, "We should have a party! A nice going away party!" Yumi smiled at Hotaru's suggestion.

"I don't think Haruka would like a party, hime-chan." Hotaru pouted and seemed upset,

"But I want Haruka to know we all love her, and that we'll miss her." Leon stood up,

"We'll talk about this tomorrow hime... why don't you two go and do your homework before dinner?"

Leon and Yumi watched patiently as the girls took his cue and left the room to go their own. Yumi turned to her husband and looked at him lovingly,

"Koibito... what is it? What aren't you telling me?" Leon took his wife's hand and gently caressed it while staring at Yumi with all the love in his heart,

"I told Haruka to forget about her and to concentrate on her life. Yumi, I don't think I could bear to see her so hurt again. I know it's wrong, but she's my baby, I can't see her like that again." Yumi ran her hand through her husband's hair, he was trembling slightly, emotion threatening to overwhelming him. Yumi spoke softly to him to calm him, and secretly, to calm herself too.

"Who says that Michiru will hurt Haruka, Leon? We barely know the girl and Hotaru and Setsuna seem to trust her. If Haruka wants to lower her walls, let her. You can't always protect her. I know you don't want to, neither do I really, but we should let this ride out as intended... let fate take its course, let Ruka make her own decisions." Leon looked at his wife, and sighed heavily,

"It's times like this that I hate being a parent. Do I go back up there and say 'hey Ruka, forget those emotionally destroying words I said earlier, go for it, kiddo!'" Yumi smiled understandingly. Neither parent wanted to see their child get hurt, but Yumi didn't want to think that after Keiko, Haruka could never open up, or love and trust another so deeply yet it seemed as though Michiru Kaioh was about to break that spell.

"Hey, why don't we go through with Taru's plan?" Leon looked at his wife as though she had two heads.

"You just said she wouldn't like it, Yumes." Yumi looks at her husband,

"But her friends would all like to send her off properly... God knows Mina-chan would never forgive us for not throwing a going away party. And you know Usagi would find any excuse for cake." Leon chuckled,

"When should we have it?" Yumi thought deeply,

"The day before Winter Comps could be good... Haruka's last free night in Tokyo and her friends could do with some de-stressing. Hmm, we can't have it here though. I know! Call up Hachimashi! Tell him the news. You know he'll want to hold the party at his place." Leon put his arms around his wife's waist and spoke huskily into her ear.

"A Paixão De Vida." Yumi giggled,

"You go and call him up... I'll arrange everything else, okay, honey?" Leon nodded and reached for the phone.

At the top of the stairs, an excited Hotaru ran to Setsuna's room, her eyes beaming with excitement,

"Sets! Sets!" Hotaru doesn't really whisper well, but Setsuna lifted her head from her book and looked at the younger girl, who continued to speak at a less than inaudible volume.

"They're going to have a party for Ruka at Hachimashi's! " Setsuna set her book down beside her,

"Really? And how did you know this, hime? Eavesdropping?" Hotaru sheepishly grinned,

"Still! All that matters is that we'll be going to 'A Paixao de Vida' for the celebrations on the 23rd! That means that we can still get Haruka to make up with Michiru-san!" The young girl began jumping up and down on the spot, while Setsuna thought hard.

"That may be true, but we can't force Haruka, hime-chan, you know evasive she can be. We still have a long time before the party and anything can happen 'til then... besides, we don't know if Michiru is really interested in Haruka." The young girl stopped jumping around and spoke solemnly,

"She is, I can tell. In the club, I've seen her sneak many glances at Haruka-papa and smile, thinking no-one is watching... but I was watching and I saw it all!" Setsuna giggled uncharacteristically,

"Well, if that is the case, then we should do our best to help them, ne, hime-chan?" Hotaru began to smile and clap her hands in victory.

"Oh, Setsuna-chan, we should call Mina-chan and the other girls. They can help us get them together... it could be a group effort!"

"Yes, just like..." Setsuna sighed deeply, "Just like with with Keiko."

"_Are you sure about this, Mina-chan?" Minako nodded fervently as the tall lanky blonde next to her gulped in anxiousness. The blonde with an overtly large red ribbon in her hair sighed exasperatedly,_

"_Of course I am sure, Haruka-san! Now, listen, Seiya-kun may have classes with her, but it is clear to all of us, that when you talk to her, she becomes all giddy and overwhelmed!" Haruka fixed her tie, _

"_She does? You're sure?" This time a raven-haired beauty smacked Haruka upside her head,_

"_Of course, we're sure Haruka-kun! Now look, there she is. Go and talk to her before Seiya gets his claws into her!" Haruka took a deep breath and straightened her hair with her hand. She stood up straightening out her uniform._

"_Okay... wish me luck!" As Haruka ran from her locker and over to the classroom a few doors down, the group of seven girls all smiled in anticipation. Makoto began to smile broadly._

"_Oh Keiko-chan is so lucky, Haruka likes her... I'm so jealous of Keiko!" Ami twitched but this went unnoticed by the group. Setsuna watched as Haruka leaned casually by the classroom door, waiting for Keiko to come out of the classroom,_

"_I did speak to Keiko when we had physics, and she told me that Seiya is just throwing his money around, he just wants to go to the most expensive restaurant here and there, and when Haruka offered her the beach, although she had gymnastics, she really wanted to go there with her instead." Usagi's eyes widened,_

"_Ne, she knows Haruka-chan is a girl?" Setsuna nodded,_

"_When they were assigned as partners in dance class, she apparently could tell about Haruka. I haven't said anything of course... but let's just let fate take its course." Minako nodded,_

"_Hai! We have already done as much as we can in the form of love and those who are meant to be!"_

"_Look! Keiko is talking to Haruka-papa!" Hotaru squealed, the group instantly fell quiet and watched from afar as they saw Keiko blush as Haruka kissed the back of her hand. Then they exchanged a few more words before Keiko nodded and Haruka took her arm, linked with Keiko's. She smiled as she left the hallway and went outside._

"_Hey! Where are they going?" The group glared at Usagi who was loud enough that it nearly caused Keiko to look back,_

"_Shh! You idiot! They're clearly going to have a lunch date!" Rei scolded Usagi and the girl looked as though she was about to burst into tears, but then Ami sighed,_

"_That's so romantic. They make such a perfect couple, ne?" The group nodded in agreement._

"Hime-chan, whatever happens, just accept it. Don't be upset at the results, okay?" Before Hotaru could respond, the sound of the doorbell interrupted them. Intrigued the two stood up, and listened silently from the top of the stairs as Leon answered the door.

"Elza-chan? What a pleasant surprise! What brings you to our humble abode?"

Elza bowed respectfully to the Tenoh's.

"I take it Haruka has told you of the news? Well, the team knew and basically I'm here to drag her to the track; they want to see her there every day practicing." Leon nodded and stood aside, Elza made her way into the house, and after exchanging pleasantries with Leon and Yumi she dashed upstairs, making her way directly to Haruka's room. She knocked on the door gently.

"Go away!" Elza giggled at Haruka's reaction, regardless she opened the door and entered her close friend's room. Elza sighed when she saw Haruka was laying face down into her bed, pillow over the back of her head and she wasn't crying but she was clearly upset.

"Haru-chan, don't be so miserable. The team sent me here to get you, you lazy ass." Haruka sat up as soon as she heard Elza's voice. She cracked a little smile.

"The team huh? They've already heard?" Elza nodded and she sat down at the end of the tomboy's bed,

"Yup, and I'm here to officially drag your ass to the racetrack." Elza grinned and seemed a little too happy at this duty but Haruka rubbed her eyes and smiled,

"Perfect!" Seeing Elza's confused face, the blonde continued, "I mean, I need some time away from... some people. This is perfect. The best excuse!" Elza frowned,

"You can't avoid her Haru-chan." Haruka nodded, clearly disagreeing,

"Yes, I can. I'd much rather avoid her by being at the track then having to do anything else." Haruka sighed deeply, "Seiya was right." Elza leaned forward and brushed some hair from Haruka's eyes,

"What did he say Haru-chan?" Haruka didn't even look at Elza,

"You were there... when he said I had no guts, he's right I'm a coward. I can't even face Michiru. So, now I'm just avoiding her." Elza grinned,

"You're not a coward. Just an idiot... and something tells me that it's going to be pretty hard for you to avoid Michiru till the comps." Haruka looked at Elza in shock, more intrigue than anything,

"What do you know Grey?!" Elza giggled and laid back on the bed, clearly enjoying the power she had over Haruka at the moment,

"Well, I know that on the 11th, sensei is pairing up people in class with their neighbours to do an assignment worth three quarters their English grade. A big assignment, lots of work and time together with your neighbour... oh and who's your neighbour, Haru-chan?" Elza grinned devilishly, while Haruka's jaw hit the floor,

"That's not funny! How do you know that?!" Elza laughed and propped herself up on her elbows,

"I had to see the teacher about my English grade 'cos I missed school... remember the broken toes you gave me? Yeah, well, in her diary it was clearly written... haha, Haru-chan, good luck avoiding Michiru when you'll have to spend two weeks with her 'cos of Tetsuya-sensei's assignment!" Instantly Haruka's head dropped, Elza laughed and playfully slapped her on the back,

"Hey Haru-chan, don't worry you can still avoid her for a month, till Fuji that is." Haruka looked at her and threw her pillow directly into Elza's face,

"I hate you, Elza!" It didn't really matter what Haruka said, Elza wouldn't have heard, she was far too busy laughing at all the irony in Haruka's life.

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**A/N - I have to admit, I like playing with Elza has Haruka's friend, it brings me great joy! Now, if you made it here, do a review, you know I love it ;)**


	8. Heights, Victory and a Peck on the Cheek

**A/N - Once again, there is no dancing in this chapter (sorry to disappoint but I am working really hard on the dances yet to come!). This was an evil chapter to write on account of the hours it took me to write about Fuji Speedway (the actual circuit where the F1 will be racing later this year YAY - Lewis Hamilton fan here) and get some of the real bends etc written down accurately! Nevermind eh? Anywho, this is more of a transition chapter but I hope you all enjoy it (and before anyone says anything no there isn't a plothole with Leon and the last chapter - it's written that way to set up for the next few chapters so there sticks tongue out) Oh, I totally owe Reusch for a certain two word phrase in here... she said it first and it's hers. I merely whore it out ;) Okay, this rant is done. Enjoy!

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CHAPTER 8 – HEIGHTS, VICTORY AND A PECK ON THE CHEEK

It had not been an easy month for Haruka. She had not been at the dance club as often as she would have liked but she had two reasons to avoid the club; Fuji Speedway and Michiru. It worked out quite nicely. As soon as lessons were over, Elza arrived at her class and dragged her down to the track where she practiced till late. It was only when her homework began to suffer did the tomboy think to go and see her tutors to find out ways around missed homework and soon-to-be missing assignments; and that was where she found out she really was going to be assigned to work with Michiru and that it wasn't just an evil joke by Elza; the teacher let it slip herself. She and Michiru were going to work on a presentation and essay on a book together. The book was Wuthering Heights and Haruka had no interest in it at all, her interest may have peaked a little when her English tutor spoke out of her love for the book.

"_Do I have to work with Mi – Kaioh-san, sensei?" Tetsuya-sensei peered over the edge of her glasses and stared at the blonde who was still in her seat in the now empty classroom. The teacher had a glazed over look in her eyes while staring out of the window, slightly biting her own lip;_

"_Hai, Haruka-san... don't you appreciate love and romance? Oh Tenoh-kun, this book is just so romantic, you will love it, I know, have you read it before?" The blonde could only shake her head. The teacher then gushed,_

"_Ah, like most boys, you've no interest in romance, ah, well perhaps Kaioh-san could help you overcome that." Haruka instantly turned red and began to stutter,_

"_N-n-nani? Help m-m-me?" The teacher raised one eyebrow and looked at Haruka concernedly,_

"_Tenoh-kun are you okay? I only meant that Michiru would probably take more interest in the book." The tomboy sweat-dropped. She laughed nervously and scratched the back of her neck,_

"_Oh, yeah, I know that...er thanks sensei." Haruka rushed from the room. It was December 9__th__ and that was the day Haruka realised she couldn't avoid Michiru, not until the comps. Crap. _

"Holy crap, Tenoh, you just blasted your old record into space! Keep it up only one more lap left after this! And thanks this time for not running my foot over in the pit-stop." Elza's voice crackled over the earpiece in Haruka's helmet and the blonde simply smirked as she broke from her daydream and she began to control her machine swiftly and expertly at the first turn.

Realizing now was no time to fantasize the blonde made it to the second bend and on the third she had to pull out a harsh left turn and accelerate in order to make the timing she wanted. She had no time for a brake or anything to slow her down as right now she was in her zone. Even the other cars were no obstacle for her. They were slow, all afraid of taking risks, which in Haruka's eyes meant they were afraid to win. 'Winners never fear, fear never wins', Haruka still remembered her father's words from over a decade ago.

To win, you have to risk everything. If you want something bad enough, you lay your life down for it and sometimes your heart. Haruka had no choice but to brake slightly while changing gears on the hairpin turn on the 6th bend, but as soon as her car's chassis regained control, she put her foot hard onto the accelerator, sending her Honda NSX soaring forward. The blond could hear the crowd roaring at this point. Today was December 10th, and today was her trial at Fuji Speedway, the decider on her F1 career.

As Haruka raced through the track with ease, she caught a glimpse of aqua hair at the front row; right near where her family and friends were. Haruka sighed inwardly, she had so much to do in the next few weeks. As far as anyone else knew, today was just a warm-up race before the F2 season started up again, only her parents, Sets, Hotaru and Elza knew today was different. Haruka hadn't even told her other friends today was basically the turning point in her career and if she does well, 

she's off on a worldwide tour for her rookie year. Haruka just hadn't had the time to tell them – or at least, that's what she kept telling herself. And aside from not telling everyone that she had yet to deal with the Michiru issue... or as the tomboy liked to call it "Why hormones are evil and shouldn't exist".

She knew she had to spend two weeks around Michiru, working long hours on their project... together... closely. Haruka shook her head, she had to get rid of those thoughts, those slightly lustful thoughts - they had no place on the racetrack! The racetrack, Fuji Speedway, it was her only real dream, until lately that was.

The tomboy could only think of how she had only practiced at Fuji for one week, aside from 3 weeks at the Honda training circuit, but one week was long enough. Haruka had mentally mapped out this track when she was 10 and knew it was her destiny to race here one day.

And here she was, but she couldn't quite understand why she wasn't happy… why she didn't feel how she always imagined she should when she was racing here, she should feel free, she should feel the embrace of speed all around her taking her to a higher plain of understanding, or something like that she thought to herself. 'Never mind Tenoh, only one more lap left and these other racers are a joke'. Haruka put her foot even more fervently on the accelerator as the monitor on her dashboard told her it was the final lap.

In the crowd all of Haruka's friends and family had gathered. Everyone from the dance club was there, even Seiya, who Michiru insisted on bringing, so they could talk every spare moment in the car on music choice and steps for the comps, Michiru was really dedicated to the dances. Leon scowled at Seiya every time they made eye contact, but Yumi managed to calm him down with a simple hand on his shoulder and a calming stroke of his hair. Hotaru was screaming in fear as she saw Haruka come around onto the Coca-Cola corner and was sure that Haruka was going to crash into another car,

"Haruka! Oh – oh thank God!" Hotaru was hugged by Setsuna,

"She's rather reckless today, ne, Yumi-san?" Yumi nodded and looked at her husband who seemed to be watching the race but with a more content look,

"Why are you so happy, Leon?" He looked down at his wife and put his right arm around her shoulder,

"I'm just proud of Ruka, she is just racing so well." Michiru was near tears watching Haruka approach the Dunlop corner, and couldn't stop herself from shouting out;

"Why is she going so fast?! She could go slower and more carefully and she'd still win!" Leon chuckled gently, getting glances from everyone there to support Ruka.

"Yeah, she could, but you gotta think like Ruka... where's the fun in that huh?" Everyone was silent as they could see Haruka approaching the finishing line, the screen above the crowd showed that Haruka was going just over 200mph. The checkered flag lowered down as Haruka sped over the finishing line and Yumi and Leon jumped up, hugging each other. Hotaru and Setsuna hugged each other and everyone cheered, even Michiru who was hoping that the entire race would go without any problems.

"Good to see she's still got it, huh?" Seiya received nine glares for his loud comment. Makoto crossed her arms and spoke up to him after the brief silence.

"There was never any chance of her losing it... not on the tracks." Seiya shrugged at the remark. Usagi spoke up sheepishly,

"Ne, Yumi-sama... do you think we could go down and see Haruka now?" Yumi shook her head sadly,

"We got at least another hour, Usagi-chan. She has to receive the trophy from the sponsors for this time trial then do a small interview with the press." Leon looked down at his watch and a childish grin played across his features,

"Nonsense, my love! Let's go see the press conference, hehe, Ruka shouldn't mind!"

"Tenoh-san, tell us how does it feel to have broken a lap record from your other Japanese competitors in the Formula Nippon category? You blew them away with a timing of 1:13!" Haruka cracked a smile at the reporter's eagerness, but then she spoke calmly,

"I'm just glad I finished the race in one piece." The media laughed gently. Haruka could see at the back of the room, the large group made up of her family and friends who had just entered. She smiled gently, but then frowned as soon as she saw Seiya with his hand on Michiru's shoulder. The Honda spokesperson addressed the media;

"We have time for two more questions." Instantly two reporters threw their hands up and were approved of.

"Tenoh-san... are the rumours true that on the 2nd of January you will be leaving for a one year tour in the F1?" This caught everyone off-guard except for Leon, Yumi, Hotaru and Setsuna. 'I am going to kill this reporter'; that was all Haruka could think as she looked down darkly at the table, she looked back up and the first person she was drawn to was Michiru, whose mouth was agape and she turned away as soon as Haruka locked eyes with her. Haruka sighed heavily, and turned to the reporter who asked the question.

"I was informed by my sponsors that if my performance today was exceptional, then along with whatever results we get from Suzuka on the 24th, then yes, I will most probably be leaving for the F1 on the 2nd." There was a huge hubbub in the room and Haruka lifted her head and saw that her aqua-haired goddess had turned her head away, not even looking in the general direction of the blonde.

'Going to give me the cold shoulder, huh?' thought the blonde.

"Tenoh-san, aren't you going to find it quite a shock leaving Japan? You haven't even finished high school. Is it a wise decision from a completely unbiased view? Shouldn't you be a role model and finish your education first?"

"I suppose I should... ah... excuse me, I am not feeling quite myself today. My apologies." Haruka instantly stood and made her way out of the room and to her dressing room. As she stood up, there was an instantaneous cacophony of questions and requests from every reporter in the room. Haruka ignored them all and went to the safety of the dressing rooms. As she turned to close the door to her room, she could see her friends and family being escorted down the corridor towards her. Exasperatedly, the blonde decided to leave the door open;' get this all over and done with now' Haruka thought to herself. Leon entered the room first, enveloping his daughter in a hug.

"Wow! Ruka ! You are a record breaker, I am so proud of you!" Leon let go of her and the blonde looked around the room. Everyone she knew was here, and Seiya had that annoying smirk on his face. Haruka ran a hand through her hair and managed to regain her arrogant aura.

"What, is this old geezer the only one who's going to congratulate me?" There was a nervous giggle from a few of the girls. After looking around the room, Ami stepped forward,

"Well done, Haruka-chan, I'm glad you've finally achieved your dream. I'm really happy for you!" Ami gingerly offered a hug to Haruka who happily accepted. Makoto grinned and stepped forward,

"I think Ami pretty much said it for all of us." Makoto hugged her long time friend. As Haruka was about to speak, she turned and locked eyes with Michiru, her eyes were watering slightly but somehow the violinist managed to keep her cool composure.

"Congratulations, Tenoh-san." That cold voice had returned and it cut through Haruka like a knife.

"I was going to tell you all, but I – I didn't want to. Not yet." Michiru looked around the dressing room,

"It's none of our business when you were going to tell us, or if you were. It's your life, Tenoh-san." Michiru's cold voice once again had the power to cut through the usually unbreakable composure of Haruka Tenoh.

"I didn't want to jinx anything. You know, your ultimate dream being thrown at you doesn't happen every day." Michiru looked at Haruka. Immediately the violinists' features softened in empathy.

"I suppose you're right, Haruka-san." The blonde smiled at the return of the friendlier manner she was being addressed as. There was an awkward silence. Usagi leant forward to Minako,

"Why are we all quiet?" Haruka laughed and walked over to Usagi, patting her head slightly,

"Koneko-chan, there is no need for silence when you are around." Usagi blushed at the attention brought to her but then she smiled widely. Leon looked down at his watch,

"Hey, Ruka, after your trophy and all that jazz, we're going to head back to Tokyo; Crown Plaza, my treat." Everyone roared in glee, Usagi began to drool as she thought of the ice cream concoction she had her heart set on and Minako began to do a victory pose but she remember to thank Leon after a swift hand from Rei made a connection with the back of her head;

"Leon-sama, you are the best!" Haruka smiled but inside she thought of how she didn't want to be around anyone at the moment. It was bad enough they had all found out about the F1 contract from a source that wasn't Haruka herself. That damned reporter. But really Haruka couldn't help but blame herself, she wouldn't be getting this mixed reaction if she had just had the guts and told everyone, instead of running away from her problems. Haruka looked up at her father,

"Well, who's driving who?" Leon looked around the room as it was clear that the amount of people here and her dad's car for six was clearly not going to magically take them all back to Tokyo.

"Mamo-chan is taking me, Rei and Mina!" Usagi said while squeezing poor Mamoru's arm. Yumi looked at her poor nephew but then smiled as she saw how much he adored the crazy blonde clinging to his arm. Then Yaten spoke up,

"Well, Taiki and me only have a two seater, so..." He trailed off while staring at Mako and Ami who simply sighed,

"No problem, they can come with us, right, Seiya?" Seiya instantly raised an eyebrow at Michiru's suggestion and tried desperately to find an excuse, the last thing he wanted was to be stuck in a car with Makoto, Haruka's best friend and one of the few people who knew exactly what he did to Haruka.

"No!" Makoto smiled nervously as she tried to cover up her outburst, she looked at Ami who turned to Leon as he spoke up.

"No, we're taking Ami and Mako home... don't worry yourself, Kou." Michiru smiled politely, nodding to indicate she understood but then she frowned suddenly as she counted the people in the room and the space in each vehicle;

"Wait, who's Haruka going with? Leon-sama your car can only take six and – " Haruka cut her off,

"Elza offered me a ride but I'd rather go on my bike. Ah, I had better go, it's nearly time for the trophy to be handed out." Haruka sighed and ran her hand though her hair. She headed out of the door, without another word. Leon cleared his throat and smiled, hoping to alleviate some of the sad atmosphere Ruka had left them all with.

"Haruka probably just wants to be left alone with her thoughts while driving." Michiru didn't respond but instead looked down at her feet, images of Haruka's sad expressions still haunting her every waking moment and slowly ebbing away at her, the last thing she wanted to see was a sad Haruka.

An hour later, Haruka came out of her dressing room, dressed in her leathers and holding her motorbike helmet in her hand. She ran the other hand through her hair and headed to the car park. The trophy ceremony was boring as hell. She was handed an oversized silver trophy, and a novelty check and afterwards, backstage, was given a much smaller check with a much larger number on it. She only thought of how she could probably buy her own place with that check, not that she didn't love living at home, but she needed a place she could relax without the bombardment of questions and people. The tomboy was going to keep that check a secret for now as she would talk to her parents tomorrow.

As Haruka walked through the car park, she bid good evening to the attendant there and as she made her way to her motorbike, she couldn't help but notice that everyone else was still there, waiting for her in their cars. Elza was still grinning like a fool, her day having gone great as Haruka's advisor for her last ever race in Formula Nippon – it always looked great on a transcript she thought. Haruka stopped walking momentarily before taking her keys from her pocket and approaching the group. Leon stepped out of his car,

"Haru-chan, we'll meet you at the Plaza, okay?" Haruka hesitantly nodded.

"Fine, but I gotta go somewhere first, so I might not be there for a while. But don't worry otou-san." Leon nodded understandingly. She needed somewhere quiet to think to herself; she'd surely reach Tokyo before the rest of them, she had a lot on her mind, she'd probably go to her little haven. And then meet them all later, acting as though nothing was bothering her at all.

"Okay, kiddo. Take care." Leon got back into his car and started the engine. Haruka revved her own engine and put her helmet on, instantly feeling a release as she gripped the motorbike handles. Haruka closed her eyes and took a deep breath, not noticing, everyone was still watching her as they started up their own vehicles. Haruka opened her eyes and then her baby, her Kawasaki ZX6R, suddenly flew down the road, speeding out of everyone's sight. A collective 'sugoi' was said by all the girls, even though separated by different cars, they were all still amazed at Haruka's skill with motorbikes and cars. Even though she wasn't legally supposed to be driving till she was 18, Haruka got her age overlooked due to her success in F2; 'ah, soon to be F1' thought Leon.

It was half an hour into the drive that Leon cleared his throat, noting the silence in the car. He looked over to Yumi and smiled gently.

"So... did you girls have fun today at the tracks?" Hotaru was the first to respond to Leon's question, she was sitting directly behind him.

"Hai! I thought Haru-chan was going to die at one point but after I got over that, I enjoyed it! Plus, Haruka-papa won, so I'm happy!" Hotaru beamed and Setsuna smiled gently at her.

Leon looked out of his window for a moment while they were at a stop sign. He sighed but then turned to the four girls in the back of his car;

"Do you know Michiru-san well?" A silence engulfed everyone. Hotaru looked around and after seeing no-one taking the lead here she sighed loudly,

"Leon-papa, is this about Michiru and Haruka's feelings for each other?" Leon just managed to regain control of the car after his senses were temporarily stunned by the usually reserved Hotaru's clear knowledge of his line of questioning.

"Whu-what?! No, of course not! I'm just interested in what everyone thinks of the new girl!" He looked around the car and found five unbelieving females staring at him, all with one eyebrow raised. Leon sighed, "Okay, yeah it is about Ruka and this – this Michiru girl. What's she like, really I mean, she seems nice enough, but I don't know her that well... so what do you think of her?" Before anyone could even take a breath to speak, Ami cleared her throat.

"Ah well, Leon-sama, Michiru is a nice girl, very polite, very good at her studies, she plays the violin exceptionally, in fact I think she may be Aiko Neptune, the international violinist, but she hasn't given a hint to that... but she is kind and thoughtful to everyone. And very beautiful too." A certain brunette sitting next to Ami raised her eyebrow,

"Hey! You better only be thinking of her as a friend!" Ami sheepishly gave Makoto a reassuring kiss on the cheek before nodding gingerly. Leon smiled at the two but then he frowned at his next thought.

"So, you wouldn't say she was anything like Keiko?" A silence filled the car. Yumi looked at her husband, she understood why he asked that, but he did it with such little tact. Seeing that his question would get no response, he carried on speaking, "Ruka really likes Michiru. I – I just want to make sure this girl is nothing like Keiko. I told Ruka to avoid her for now, just until after the Comps, but I know she won't be able to do that, I mean she'll try but she'll fail at avoiding her, especially if she really likes her, plus Elza told me she'll be stuck with a school assignment with her. Poor Ruka." Leon began driving the car faster than usual and he had a frown on his face. Yumi giggled gently,

"Koibito, you shouldn't frown so... it makes your handsome features look so tiresome." Leon threw a quick smile to his wife then he looked into his rearview mirror at the four girls in their car. He cleared his throat, about to speak but Setsuna managed to speak before him.

"She's a nice enough girl... shame she's friends with Kou though." Hotaru nodded in agreement.

"So... is Michiru his... his girlfriend?" Leon could taste the bile in his mouth as he spoke, but he managed to suppress his urge to vomit at the thought of Seiya; especially after what he had done to his daughter,

"Michiru doesn't appear to have an interest in him, not romantically, at least." Ami's response seemed sincere enough for him. Makoto snickered,

"I thought you were prepared to fight for me, Ami?" Ami went bright red and Yumi looked at the bluenette and giggled,

"Nani?" Makoto burst into laughter as Ami turned as red as a tomato,

"Ami was convinced that Michiru was in love with me! Haha, funny, huh?" Yumi nodded but then looked at Ami,

"Why would you think that, Ami?" The bluenette regained some of her composure,

"She blushed every time Makoto spoke to her... it was obvious!" Ami turned to Mako, "And you stop making fun of me! She's stopped it all now!" Leon looked into his rearview mirror,

"Yeah? Why's that?" Hotaru giggled and Setsuna looked at her, almost chiding her as a mother would. Yumi looked at Hotaru and gave her one of those 'tell me what made you laugh' looks that only parents can dish out. Hotaru gulped then smiled,

"Um... Michiru stopped looking at Mako-chan, 'cos... well as soon as she found out Haruka was a female... she couldn't keep her eyes off of her." Hotaru went quiet, Leon burrowed his brows,

"That true, hime-chan?" Hotaru nodded emphatically, and began speaking like an excited child.

"Yes! I saw her... she thinks no-one knows! But I saw her... she even blushes every time Haruka looks at her but she looks away hoping no-one can see her, but I do! I think she definitely likes her, y'know, in that way." Makoto and Ami instantly began chatting with Hotaru about all the times they saw Michiru steal glances at Haruka, but Leon was more concerned with what he knew... that Haruka had deep feelings for Michiru and that the aqua-haired teen may return those feelings for his daughter. He looked at Yumi, who shared his concern, but she instantly soothed his worries with her soft voice.

"Darling, she will be fine. Even if she can't stay away from Michiru, she will know what to do. She learnt from what happened with Keiko too." Leon nodded.

"Okay. I'll tell her to just do what she feels is right... and can one of you talk to Michiru? Find out the truth? If Haruka really has such little time, then I know she'll want to know everything before she goes."

"I'll do it, Tenoh-san." Makoto's volunteer was met with a scowl from Ami which only caused Makoto to sigh,

"I'm doing this for Haruka, Ami... honestly, I thought green was my colour." Ami instantly turned red, earning a giggle from everyone in the car, while Ami muttered something about 'waiting until a certain brunette got home', to which Makoto only rose an eyebrow and began daydreaming about what her girlfriend may have in store for her.

The entire ride home, Leon could only think of how to approach his daughter now, and to talk to her properly, without thinking that every single woman was out to hurt her, just like Keiko. He sighed deeply and he felt Yumi's hand on his own, while they stopped at a red light.

"Leon, I have every faith in you. You know how to talk to Haruka just right. It will be fine." She smiled at him and instantly every worry he had was washed away. He nodded to her and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, before continuing the long drive back home.

* * *

Seiya and Michiru pulled up outside Crown Plaza first, or so they thought. Seiya looked at the other bays in the Plaza's car park and saw that Elza's car was here but that was it so far away they couldn't be sure if she was in the Plaza. Michiru saw Elza's car too and smiled gently,

"I wonder how long she's been here." Seiya didn't even respond, he just got out of his car, as soon as he locked it and was about to head in, three other cars pulled up beside him. Seiya beamed at Yaten and Taiki got out of their car.

"Some friendly faces, finally!" Seiya ran to his friends and hugged them. As they were about to head in, Michiru couldn't help but note the slightly serious look on Haruka's father's face. Before she could ask if he was okay, she felt someone holding onto her wrist, she looked back only to find Makoto standing there, smiling at her.

"Makoto-chan? Is everything alright?" The brunette nodded then let go of Michiru's arm,

"Hai, Michiru-san! But I was wondering if I could speak to you in private?" Michiru nodded slightly confused but before she could ask any questions Makoto took her by her arm and lead her to a nearby bench, away from the ever so attentive ears of Usagi and Minako who were being lead by Setsuna and Leon into the Crown for ice cream. The two girls sat on the bench and Makoto exhaled,

"I need to talk to you about some delicate matters." Michiru stayed silent. Makoto took this as a sign for her to continue the conversation, "About Haruka-chan." Michiru's face tinged with pink, but before she could turn way Makoto smiled, "I knew it!" Michiru turned to face the brunette,

"Mako-chan! Please, you can't say anything!" Makoto put her hand up to the girl, to shush her and it effectively worked. Makoto looked Michiru deep into her eyes,

"I need to talk to you, okay?" Michiru nodded, not saying anything, after Makoto clearly knew, Michiru wasn't so sure she had the capabilities of speech back at the moment.

"Michiru-san. Don't speak until after I have said everything to you. Okay. Well, do you remember the day of the Winter Comps deadline? Well... Haruka danced the foxtrot with me and she was under the illusion that you had feelings for me... romantic feelings. I know that you may have had a crush on me, but that's passed right?" Michiru nodded her head emphatically. Makoto sweat-dropped and sighed in relief,

"Good, I think Ami may have killed you otherwise. Anyway, I need to know something from you, Michiru-san. I need to know how you honestly feel about Haruka-chan, and the reason I have to know this is because... well, because Haruka-chan has feelings for you." Michiru's eyes widened and her heart like it was about to explode from happiness.

"She has feelings for me?" Makoto simply nodded. Michiru giggled like a fool for a moment then sunk back into the bench, her eyes were glazed over in bliss.

"Hai, Mako-chan, I feel very deeply for Haruka." Makoto grinned and hugged Michiru,

"That's great! But... you can't tell Haruka you know any of this, okay?"

"What?! Why?!" Makoto half-smiled,

"After Keiko-chan, Haruka's confidence in actually pursuing a relationship fell drastically. If you want to pursue it, don't mention it. Not yet. Promise me, okay? If you take an obvious step further, Haruka's pride may be wounded, if she found out you knew how she felt because we told you, I don't think she'd recover." Michiru nodded but then stopped, and looked at Makoto,

"We?" Makoto grinned as she stood up, indicating they were going to head back in.

"Um... hai... we as in me, Ami, Setsuna-Hotaru-Rei-Minako-Usagi-Mamoru-Leon-Yumi." The brunette took a deep breath after forging everyone's name into one. Michiru was about to explode and shriek about how everyone knew about her feelings for Haruka and vice versa, when the sound of a motorcycle approaching them threw Michiru out of her thoughts. The bike slowly approached them and parked up by the cars. Once the motorcyclist took their helmet off, Michiru was graced with the image of short blonde hair being tousled by Haruka's own hand. The tomboy noticed the two and smiled politely.

"Hey." The two girls smiled back, Makoto looked in through the window to see Usagi, Minako, Rei, Hotaru and Leon all pushed up against the window, desperate to see what was happening. As soon as Haruka turned to look there too, the five turned away from the window, appearing to do normal activities such as reading the ice cream menu, Haruka raised an eyebrow in suspicion, but decided to ignore them. She turned back to Makoto and Michiru, only to find Michiru smiling widely.

"I'm sorry if I didn't seem too happy at the track, Haruka-san. I'm so happy for you. Honestly." Before the tomboy could react, Haruka could feel herself being enveloped in a hug by the aqua-haired beauty. The blonde felt a surge of warmth through her body and happiness like she had never known. Makoto was giggling behind them, but Haruka pulled away from the hug, a blush clearly covering her face. Michiru was still smiling, she could only think of how she could leave every hint possible for the blonde to follow and to take advantage of the situation thrown in front of her, Michiru was so glad that she knew Haruka had some feelings for her, now it was all just a matter of time and Makoto said she couldn't take obvious steps – so how about subtle ones? Makoto cleared her throat;

"We should go in, Haruka... everyone is waiting for you." Michiru had to think fast! She grinned mischievously as a simple idea came to her in a flash. The young violinist quickly tiptoed and placed a kiss on Haruka's cheek, nearly rendering the tomboy paralytic. But somehow the blonde managed to keep in control of her body and follow the blue-haired goddess leading her into the diner without tripping on her own feet or fainting from lustful joy.

A loud cheer was heard from the corner Haruka's family and friends and claimed as their own inside the Crown, only for the cheer to be instantly silenced after the distinct sound of two 'thwacks' could be heard. Haruka looked and saw her father was nursing his head and his mother grinning, with her handbag in her hand, and Usagi was nursing a lump on her head while Rei had a grin like no other on her face.

Haruka took the seat beside Hotaru and found Michiru sitting on the other side of Hotaru Michiru couldn't stop herself grinning every time Haruka so much as looked in her direction. Halfway through her sundae, Haruka subconsciously placed a hand on her cheek still remembering the warmth that simple kiss brought her and found her eyes flicker quickly to Michiru then back to the dessert in front of the tomboy. Haruka thought to herself how soft Michiru's lips were, the scent of her perfume... as Haruka looked over to Michiru, another thought entered her head – the next two weeks would be hell.

* * *

**A/N - another evil chapter done! R&R cos I love the attention :P... Preview for the next chapter - Haruka and Michiru are in Haruka's room working on their assignment... what are Hotaru and Leon up to?... till then! Ciao! **


	9. The Idiot and The Genius

**A/N – Wow, I totally thought I would freeze on this chapter, but in the past hour ten pages just flowed through me and I'd like to share them, even though this chapter may suck lots it was a difficult one to write and I'm just glad I got over it eventually. I'd like to say that the conversation about the book was the cause of much joy in my A-levels. Watching my two friends argue over who was more stupid, but hey, I'll now leave that for you to decide. Thank you to all my reviewers, this story has now hit over a 100 reviews and that has totally psyched me to try and keep the same quality and get the story to a whole new level of awesomeness that it would be mind-blowing. Pah, anyway, i own nothing except the plot... Enjoy!**

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**CHAPTER 9 – THE IDIOT AND THE GENIUS**

To anyone else, it would have seemed as though a young short haired blonde was not paying attention to anything that their partner was saying to them, though they were facing away from the younger beauty but little did anyone know, the blonde couldn't stop themselves from listening to the beautiful sound of the aqua haired girl beside them.

"So, Haruka-san, we finished the essays, that's no problem, now just for the presentation. We could work on that tonight, just use all the information from our essay. I really shouldn't have listened to you, this is due in tomorrow and... And – are you even listening to me?" Seeing the blonde was still in a daze and hadn't even heard her say that, a smirk came across Michiru's face, if Haruka wasn't paying attention to her words, then she must be paying attention to something else, right? "So Haruka-san, I was thinking we could do the presentation naked and then –"

"NANI?" Haruka had to grab her desk before she fell backwards and straight on her ass to the floor. Michiru only giggled at Haruka's reaction,

"So you weren't listening to me Tenoh-san." Michiru said in a mock scolding voice. Haruka looked at her, she could tell Michiru was teasing her, but this time Michiru had a glint in her eyes that Haruka didn't quite know how to pinpoint. Haruka hung her head down in slight shame,

"Gomen, Michiru, I was a little preoccupied." Michiru simply rose an eyebrow as Haruka avoided eye contact at all costs.

"So Haruka-san... where should we study tonight? My parents aren't home, so we have a completely empty house we could have all to ourselves." The tomboy could only find that her jaw had dropped completely involuntarily. After a few seconds of letting her mind wander sinfully into fantasies of what the two could do in a completely empty house alone and unsupervised, Haruka brought her mind back to its senses by turning away from Michiru and closing her mouth, then gulping nervously.

"Haruka, are you okay?" Michiru was truly concerned, had she pushed it too far? She was trying to be subtle but she only had two more days till Haruka's final race then one week till she left their lives forever. It was now or never and her oh-so-sweet and innocent hints hadn't been working. Michiru decided tonight would have to be a more obvious move on Haruka tonight.

"No... I'm fine, Michiru. But we can't go to yours tonight. My parents are out and Setsuna is practicing with Taiki last minute, I have to look after Hime-chan." If Hotaru wasn't so adorable, Michiru was sure she would be cursing the child right now.

"Oh. Okay. I suppose we can do this tomorrow morning if we get up early and –" Michiru couldn't finish her thought as Haruka spoke, suddenly quieting her.

"No, I won't have time, what with the party and last minute practice. We can do it at mine tonight." Haruka could only think that was a close shave; She really needed the presentation done, but there's no way she could get up early, she already has difficulty getting up before noon as it is! Thank god Hotaru would be at home, inevitably rushing into the room every five seconds to ask Haruka to do one thing or another, there's no way Haruka could let herself do anything foolish around Michiru. To her surprise Michiru smiled brightly,

"That's perfectly fine with me. What time do you want me at yours?" Haruka could only frown her face in confusion,

"Aren't you coming straight to mine?" The aqua-haired teen only laughed, and Haruka nearly melted at the simple sound of it, but she had to keep her composure. Michiru smiled gently at the tomboy,

"Haruka... I can't spend hours at yours studying in my uniform, it would be too uncomfortable. I'll go home, get changed quickly at meet at yours after your practice at the racetrack?"

"Sounds great, Michi... ru-san... sounds good." Haruka instantly threw her book into her face, pretending to read but desperately trying to hide her blush, where the hell did Michi come from? Good thing she covered it up, right? No such luck.

"My, my, aren't we getting comfortable, Ruka-chan?" Haruka was about to turn to Michiru and scold her for making fun of her, but she realized that the voice that had mocked her was not the girl she was hopelessly falling for. Oh no, as the young racer looked to Michiru, standing distinctly behind her was her red-haired friend, Elza, with the world's biggest smirk, it could have contended with some of Haruka's best. The blonde's face instantly began to drain of colour but before Elza could open her mouth to say anything, Haruka stood up and jumped over to her.

"Ah, Elza, glad you're here, time to practice huh? Oh well, sorry Michiru we really should go! See you later!" Elza giggled and looked at Haruka who seemed to be redder than a tomato.

"Haruka, you fool! I'm not here to drag you to practice, I'm here to bring you a message. There's no practice tomorrow, the sponsor said you can have a few days off before your Suzuka race, so I came to tell you that you got tonight and tomorrow free. And I have a while free from getting you to behave... anyway, I gotta go, I got homework to do... don't you?" Elza said the last part of her sentence with a slight smirk, "Anyway, sayonara, Haru-chan, Michiru-san and good luck!" And with that Elza left the classroom, and Haruka could only think of how every time Elza was around her life seemed to become more complex. Oh, how she could have killed her. Haruka turned around to find Michiru smiling, her left leg slowly uncrossing over her right and she stood up, elegant, graceful and beautiful as ever.

"Seeing as how you're free Haruka, wanna give me a ride to mine before we go to yours?" Once again, Haruka could only find herself gulping.

"S-s-sure."

* * *

Funnily enough, when Haruka went to collect Hotaru and Setsuna before leaving school to go to Michiru's, the two insisted on getting a ride with Elza back to Haruka's, Setsuna needed to get ready before going over to Taiki's and Hotaru wanted to get home in time to watch her favourite anime show – Haruka thought it was a little silly, but it had girls in senshi uniforms and ridiculously short skirts, so there was a plus side to it sometimes. However, this was not Haruka's problem at the moment, what was her problem was the fact that Michiru had just forced the blonde into a hell/heaven situation when asking Haruka's opinion on her outfit when they reached her home, but now they were on their way back to Haruka's however the blonde could not stop focusing on the moment of hell in Michiru's room less than fifteen minutes ago.

* * *

"_Michiru-san you are taking so long! Why is it so difficult to just throw on some clothes, you're only studying, it's not a fashion show!" Haruka slumped on the chair in Michiru's room while the younger girl was changing in the bathroom; Haruka was glad, she didn't want to die from being over-aroused while seeing Michiru change in front of her – death by nosebleed was not the way she wanted to go out._

"_You are such a boy, Haruka-san, I swear, I have to make sure what I'm wearing is not only comfortable, but cute and appropriate for any occasion I may face tonight." With that Michiru _

_opened the bathroom door, revealing herself in what Haruka could only describe as a 'drool inducing' outfit. She wore her hair long and it sat just perfectly along her delicate shoulders, a fitted turtleneck jumper in a dark blue clung to her torso revealing very pleasant curves and caused Haruka to immediately double her efforts to ensure her eyes didn't drift below Michiru's neckline with the younger girl's knowledge; Michiru also wore a short denim skirt, with a matching jacket, knee length black socks and some simple but sexy black hells. Oh God, the tomboy was sure she could not survive the next few hours, but by God she would try even if it kills her!_

"_Let's just go!" The blonde squeaked._

* * *

By the time Haruka pulled up in her driveway, their drive was empty but the lights were on in the living room. Haruka smiled gently, at the thought of Hotaru indoors, relaxing, and being her get-out-of-an-awkward moment card. Michiru saw her smile, but her thoughts lingered elsewhere, 'she is looking forward to this too! YES!' but Michiru managed to keep her composure. Almost silently, the two teens exited the yellow sports car and Haruka led the way to her front door. She was about to reach for her keys and open the door when it violently swung open, revealing a very happy Hotaru. The blonde rose one eyebrow suspiciously,

"And why are you so happy, hime-chan? And how the hell did you get to this door so quickly?" Hotaru kept her grin on her face,

"I heard you pull up... you're lucky Sailor V is on a commercial break, or else I'd have left you fumbling with your keys for hours." Haruka frowned.

"It wouldn't have been hours." With no more said, she walked into the house. She looked around, the TV was blaring out the latest theme tune to that senshi programme Hotaru adored.

"Hime-chan, can you turn that down a little? We have to do a presentation for tomorrow." Hotaru grabbed the remote and the volume was decreased dramatically,

"You have a presentation due tomorrow? I take it you convinced Michiru-san to leave it to last minute, huh, Haruka-papa?" Haruka flashed her little princess her winning smile.

"Yup! I hate studying." Haruka turned to find Michiru rolling her eyes playfully. The racer sat down, indicating for the beauty before her to follow suit. They sat at the table and got all their books out, and Michiru got her laptop out.

"So, remind me again why we can't just use my laptop?" Michiru giggled gently,

"Because Haruka, you will forget it... I swear you were the only person in our History class who tried the excuse of 'my dog ate my MacBook Air'." Haruka sweat-dropped while Hotaru tried to stifle a giggle behind her, but then failed and burst into laughter, Haruka ignored the laughter while her eyebrow twitched.

"Gomen, Haruka-papa!" Hotaru jumped from the sofa and hugged the older girl, the blonde instantly smiled, forgiving the child in an instant. Hotaru kissed Haruka on the cheek tenderly, "Let me get you a drink to make up for laughing at you... would you like one, Michiru?" Michiru smiled politely,

"That would be great, thank you." Hotaru smiled and skipped out of the room, leaving the two teens alone. Haruka ran her hand through her hair and loosened her tie then she stopped, stared at it, sighed and decided to just take the damned thing off. As the blonde did this she heard the sound of Hotaru giggling in the kitchen, and the very faint sound of a click, but before Haruka could think any further on the subject, Hotaru came bounding back into the living room, with two lemonades in her hand. She placed one in front of Haruka and the other in front of Michiru, who briefly looked up from her book and smiled at Hotaru, quickly catching the gaze of Haruka and smiling to the racer, with just a hint of seduction surrounding her. Haruka forced her head to look down at her book, before that treacherous blush decided to make a public appearance all over her face.

"Haruka-san, are you okay?" Michiru's sweet voice caused Haruka to grin like an idiot. After a few seconds the blonde snapped back to reality and nodded while delving her head even deeper into the book. If she had looked up, she would have seen the aqua-haired teen grinning mischievously while removing her jacket and yawning languidly.

"Ah! I hope we get this finished soon, Haruka-san, I am just dying for a bed." Haruka's neck nearly snapped in half as she instantly threw her head to look at Michiru who was toying with a few strands of curly hair in between her nimble fingers and smiling innocently at the blonde.

"P-pardon?" Michiru smiled gently.

"I was just saying how tired I am. I just want to get this finished and have the rest of the night to myself." 'And with you' she added as an afterthought for her very naughty little mind.

"Oh, well, I'll try my best to get this done quickly, I promise." While at the same time thinking she was lame as hell for only saying that, Haruka also sighed in relief. She was beginning to think her mind was working overtime on its lustful thoughts.

Before anymore could be said, the front door was suddenly opened and Leon and Yumi walked through, giggling like teenagers. Haruka stood up and frowned,

"What the hell are you two doing here?!" Leon raised his eyebrow and looked over to the table where Michiru was sitting. He grinned,

"Our meeting was cancelled, so we came home... why, too early for you?" Haruka thanked all the gods in existence that she was facing the other direction, otherwise Michiru would have seen her face contort into one of utter embarrassment while being accompanied by a lovely shade of crimson.

"N-no! It's just I thought I had to get home to look after hime-chan and here you are!" That's better, the blonde thought to herself, back to your audacious old self. Yumi smiled gently and entered the living room with her husband, after they removed their shoes and jackets.

"Haruka-san, we really did think we were going to be home late. Gomen." Haruka smiled gently, how could anyone be angry at her mother? She was the most amazing woman in the world... well, the second most amazing Haruka gushed to herself. This happy phase was soon cut short by Leon as he slumped on the couch and saw that Sailor V was over,

"Alright! Hime-chan's programmes are over... sweet, the game starts in a minute!" Michiru threw a confused glance to Yumi who shrugged and said simply,

"Men and their sports." Haruka looked at her watch and cringed, Leon was right, the game was on that Haruka wanted to watch. She wasn't really into many ball sports, but soccer was definitely one, and her dad being a Latin European meant that naturally he was too, and as anyone could see Haruka was VERY similar to her dear, old pa. Leon giggled like a child and looked over to Yumi and pouted,

"Koi... could you get me a drink, pretty please?" Yumi half-smiled and left the room to get the drink, while Haruka began biting her nails slightly and seemed torn between Michiru and the game. Michiru raised her eyebrow knowingly, but spoke agitatedly,

"Ne, Haruka, you aren't thinking of ditching me with all this work to watch a stupid game, are you?" Haruka's eyes widened, she thought she had been caught, even if she had, she had to try and get a way to see a little of the game.

"But, Michi... ru it's the game of the season! Real Madrid vs Arsenal! And – " Haruka's mind was instantly cut off from cognitive thought as she stared absentmindedly as Michiru stood up slowly, then stretched, half bending, almost causing Haruka's jaw to drop and her nose to bleed. Haruka was saved just in time by her mother, mentally dragging Haruka out of her dirty thoughts by saying a very mum like thing,

"Hey, Michiru-san," Her mother threw Haruka a very mischievous smile, "Want to see a picture of Haruka when she used to act all girly?" Haruka almost fainted at the mention of her past while Michiru instantly jumped over to Yumi and nodded her head with unbounded energy. Yumi sat Michiru down on the other sofa, and began to rummage through a drawer.

"No! Okaa-san, are you crazy? Stop embarrassing me! No! Don't you dare, put that picture down, put it down! Oh crap!" Haruka lost as her mother found the photo album and opened it and placed it on Michiru's lap, Yumi sat next to her and Hotaru leapt into the seat next to Michiru. Michiru's eyes widened as she saw a photograph of Haruka in a shimmering golden gown, with her hair as long as Yumi's and Seiya hanging on her arm. It was dated 5 years ago. Yumi sighed and spoke gently,

"That was Haruka at the regional finals, when she was thirteen. Oh they danced so well that night. That was when we knew Haru-chan really loved dancing and didn't just do it to shut us up." Haruka scoffed loudly as she walked slowly over to the three and stood a few feet away from them, remaining dead opposite them.

"I don't love dancing, I just got addicted is all." Yumi laughed gently and Michiru looked down at the photograph, she looked at Haruka, who was smiling with Seiya quite happily.

"Haruka-san... what exactly happened to you and Seiya? Apart from Keiko-chan? You said that he let you down once before." The room fell deadly silent as even Leon sat up and looked over to Yumi who remained calm and looked at her daughter's face, all emotions drained from her and her jaw firmly clenched.

* * *

"_Stay the fuck away from me Tenoh. Don't make me tell you again." The girls' dressing room at the District Finals was usually bitchy as hell but for Haruka this was a whole new level of bitchiness to the tomboy._

"_What the hell is your problem, Megumi?" The dark haired girl that Haruka addressed turned around to slowly face Haruka. Both were dressed, seemingly ready for their Latin dance. Megumi smiled evilly,_

"_We know all about you, Tenoh. We don't care what great dancers your parents are, our parents are going to make sure your ass is kicked out of this club and every other dance school in Tokyo." Haruka hoped to hell her face was expressing the same shock as she was feeling inside._

"_Once again, let me repeat, what the hell is your problem? Stop being a bitch for no reason." Megumi laughed out loud._

"_Oh right, Tenoh. That's rich. Like you don't know. We all heard about your dykey little tendencies... and how you kissed Onae in your dance class last week. You're sick. Real fucking sick, Tenoh." Oh. My. God. No. How did anyone know about Onae. Fuck, I had to go and find her to sort this out._

"_You're full of shit, Megumi." With that, the blonde ran from the dressing room in search of her best friend and dance partner, Seiya Kou. After a few minutes searching, she found him standing by the curtain backstage, a few girls around him. She was about to call out to him when she heard him say something that caught her attention fully,_

"_And I was about to leave, but remembered I left my CD in the player, so I walk back, and I saw Haruka and Onae practicing their jive step, and I thought nothing wrong here right? Wrong! One second they were giggling and before I knew it, Tenoh leaned forward and kissed her... on the lips! Fully! I saw tongue and everything! It was kind of gross!" As he finished his story, the girls all let out a collective, 'Ew!'_

"_What the fuck gives, Seiya?!" Instantly the black haired boy turned around and his faced paled of any colour._

"_Haru-chan... H-h-how long have you been standing there?" Haruka shook her head, in disbelief,_

"_Long enough. You asshole!" Haruka didn't say anymore, not because she was embarrassed, but because it seemed that her fist wanted to do all the talking and before she knew what had happened Seiya was laying on the floor, nose bleeding, cradling his precious face._

* * *

"I still say you should have let me punch him too, Ruka!" Leon chimed in just as Haruka finished. Michiru's mouth dropped open.

"I thought for sure that, well the way everyone was speaking, he let you down in a dance or something. I never thought that he outed you." Haruka laughed gently,

"I wouldn't have punched the ass if he had let me down in a dance... it's just a dance... but he let me down as a friend. I got kicked out of my dance school, everyone's parents were convinced I was out to seduce their daughters and none of the boys wanted to dance with me, so the dance school decided to just kick me out. I tried going to other dance schools, but the world of ballroom is bitchy, once one person knows, give it a day, every other asshole will know." Michiru was still in slight shock,

"But... you were friends with Seiya, when you were with Keiko-chan, right? How could you be friends with him again after something like that?" Michiru searched the face of the tomboy, who now seemed slightly amused.

"Heh. We were thirteen at the time, he was just being a dumb kid... his dad is a huge homophobe and Seiya probably told him and his dad gave him some speech on his masculinity being challenged and how to out me was the only way to deal with it. It took a year but we became good friends again, and once we went to Mugen, and I found out the school had a ballroom class with no problem with me being a big gay, then I knew I could forgive him. He was just an idiot. We became friends again, but if his dad asked we were enemies... now, I guess we don't have to lie about that. I forgave him for that, but for Keiko-chan, there was no excuse. I guess I get angry when I think of everything he did collectively. The asshole." The blonde finally sat down at the desk and she sighed heavily. Hotaru pouted a little and looked sad, whereas Yumi decided to be the wise one again.

"I think we should leave them to concentrate on their schoolwork now." Haruka smiled gratefully and Yumi took the photo album from Michiru. Haruka tried to concentrate but suddenly everything was annoying her, the lights were too bright, the air was too humid but most annoying of all, the TV was blaring once again, but with soccer chants that were really grating on the now pissed off Haruka's nerve.

"How the hell can I concentrate when the TV is blaring so loud?!" Haruka may have been pissed off but she wasn't stupid, as soon as her dad stood and gave 'the glare',

"Well, why don't you go and do your homework in your room, where there is no loud TV then, Haruka Tenoh?" The second her full name was used Haruka knew better than to mess with her dad in this mood but she didn't apologize, instead she scowled,

"Fine. I will." Without another word, the blonde stood and grabbed her stuff and abruptly left the room, leaving Michiru behind looking very confused. Instantly, Leon's face changed into a grin.

"Hey, Michiru-san, Haruka's room is the second on the left, at the top of the stairs. Better get up there and join her if you wanna finish this project huh?" Michiru slowly nodded and found her feet unconsciously leading her to the stairs. Leon saw her laptop on the desk and nosily snuck a peek at the screen. He grinned even wider than before.

"Hey Michiru-san, aren't you forgetting your laptop? And to think I thought tonight would be all about hard work?" Michiru froze in her steps, before abruptly turning around and grabbing her laptop from the table, all done with a delicious tinge of pink covering her face. As Michiru ran up the stairs, Leon started to giggle, while raising one eyebrow and maniacally chuckled. As soon as the aqua-haired teen was out of sight, Yumi looked over to her husband,

"Leon, what was that all about?" Leon giggled a little louder then carefully looked up the stairs, to ensure that the coast was clear, and as soon as he was sure it was safe, he spoke in a hushed tone to his wife;

"Koi, Michiru has something else on her mind tonight... the presentation is already done." He grinned like a fool, and Yumi sighed,

"And you know all that from one look at her laptop?" Leon nodded and looked very proud,

"Yep, using my great ninja skills, I could see a distinct Microsoft Powerpoint icon and the words 'Wuthering Heights Xmas Done' on the front page. She has no plans of working tonight." Yumi shook her head.

"Leon, darling, if you really value your life and Haruka's trust, do not do anything now you know this. Okay?" Leon looked almost insulted,

"Babe, would I ever do that? I am so insulted!" Yumi sighed,

"I'm making dinner, and don't do anything Leon!" And with that Yumi left the room. Leon pouted and crossed his arms, he looked over to Hotaru who seemed enthralled with all the drama and a smile graced his handsome face.

"Oh, hime-chan... Yumi-mama said nothing about you doing anything." Hotaru raised one eyebrow and had a very brief internal fight with her conscience. She slowly smiled too.

"What would you like me to do, Leon-papa?" Leon grinned and wiggled one eyebrow almost maniacally.

"You know the main controls for the heating are in the basement right?" Hotaru nodded and Leon spoke to her in hushed whispers. Hotaru giggled after a few seconds, nodded and ran off to the direction of the basement.

* * *

"I'm sorry about that Michiru. I'm not usually that rude to my parents, but they knew I didn't want to work on my room and otou-san was being difficult." Michiru stayed by the door but smiled politely over to Haruka, who was sitting on the edge of her bed, her books sprawled out beside her, and the blonde was looking at the floor.

"It's okay, Haruka. I understand, my parents can be like that too." Michiru looked around the room, and decided to take a seat at the blonde's desk, 'time to play it safe' she thought to herself.

"It's not really them, I guess, just thinking about Seiya annoys me. And I really hate when I think about him. He's such an –"

"An ass?" Michiru interrupted then laughed when she saw Haruka's completely shocked face.

"Well, Michiru-san, I didn't think you would think that way about him. You both seem to be getting on well." Haruka wiped her brow, was it her, or was it getting really hot in here? Michiru seemed to be amused.

"I only get on well with him because he's my dance partner. Not the partner I wanted, but better than nothing right?" Haruka was so tempted to blurt out there and then that nothing is exactly what she'd get in two nights time when the fucker decided not to turn up to Winter Comps. But the blonde opted for a weak smile instead. Michiru frowned in confusion,

"If you hate Seiya so much, why not just avoid him?" Haruka sighed deeply,

"I'd love to Michiru but I made commitments to everyone. I have to go to school, so I can't avoid him there, at the club, I don't see why I should leave because of him. Although it does make me feel better knowing I'm better than him at everything... especially dancing... remember his face last week, when I corrected his Argentine tango stance?" Haruka began laughing hard and Michiru soon found herself joining in too.

* * *

"_Seriously, Kou-san, if you insist on doing the Argentine tango then do it properly. It's not that difficult." Haruka stood behind Seiya and dragged her foot righly behind his, forcing it into a more firm position._

"_There. Now grab Michiru's hand, higher, firmer, stop. Good. Michiru, your job is to play the seductress... You have to make everyone believe that you want Seiya. Don't worry I know it's difficult but I'm sure you can manage. Now, storytelling is paramount. You're trying to show that you're walking along, a night time walk, and then suddenly desire and lust take over. Go." Haruka walks over to the CD player and presses play. The music begins, a piano orientated piece and Seiya and Michiru walk side by side, stopping momentarily to place their step as they go along. Michiru stops and spins around Seiya, he smiles and takes the stance Haruka just showed him. Haruka shakes her head,_

"_No, no! My God, I could teach a monkey to do it. Michiru, give me your hand, let me show this idiot." Without wasting a moment, Michiru let go of Seiya's hand and took Haruka's, who took the stance, then put her leg in between Michiru's who then did the step flick with ease, and not to mention a great big smile on her face. Haruka looked over to Seiya,_

"_See, how simple it is. Do it or don't bother."_

* * *

"You were a bit mean to him, Haruka, he was trying." Haruka rose her eyebrow, her little smirk returning,

"Maybe I was, but he should have done as I told him to." Michiru laughed again, just remembering Seiya's face as Haruka decided the name Baboon Boy suited him better than Kou-san, but hey, on the plus side he eventually got the steps right.

"Hey, why are you laughing at him? I thought you liked dearest Kou-san?" Michiru could sense the bitterness with which the blonde said his name and Michiru was sure that it was jealousy more than anything.

"Well, I can laugh if I like Haruka-san, it was funny." Haruka scoffed,

"Won't your boyfriend be mad if he finds out that you're laughing at him with me?" Michiru did a double take at the racer's words.

"Nani? Boyfriend?! Where did you get that idea?" Haruka turned her head away, not even able to face Michiru now.

* * *

_Michiru just had to cut the dance class early, as she had to go home but as she turned from the door to wave to the two dancers left in the room, Seiya grinned and spoke while waving,_

"_I'll see you later, Michi. Nine right?" Michi simply nodded,_

"_Yeah, see you later, Seiya! Bye, Haruka!" As Michiru left, Haruka simply scowled at Seiya,_

"_What's going on at nine?" Seiya rose his left eyerbrow and snickered,_

"_Nothing, just a little dinner date."_

"_NANI?"_

* * *

"You thought Seiya was my boyfriend? Oh Gods!" Michiru couldn't contain her laughter, she let her sides ache and her eyes water from laughing so much. Haruka pouted but then stopped to wipe her brow. Michiru saw this and looked over at her,

"Gomen, Haruka-san! Are you okay? You seem uncomfortable?" Haruka said nothing but walked over to her room's thermostat.

"Kami-sama! Look at this, almost 38 degrees celsius! Excuse me, Michi, I'm going to go and get this fixed, it's way too hot up here!" With that Haruka walked out and Michiru was left dumbfounded for a moment. She paused and sighed, then spoke quietly to herself,

"Yeah, it is kinda hot."

As soon as Haruka came downstairs, she looked instantly to her father,

"What have you done with the thermostat, it's boiling in my room!" Leon didn't answer, as he had to hide a grin that would have given away his deed, instead Hotaru spoke up,

"Haruka-san, the thermostat broke, and Leon-papa called the repair man but he can't make it here till tomorrow... so it's stuck like this." Hotaru seemed upset, Haruka noticed that Hotaru and Leon had changed into shorts and a t-shirt already, 'they must have gone downstairs to check it, heard the news and then taken some fresh laundry', Haruka could only think innocently of her little hime-chan.

"Okay, well make sure the guy comes by to fix it tomorrow, it's too freaking hot in my room." Haruka turned to leave the living room and head back to her stairs, and as he reached the top, she heard her mum shout out to her,

"Dinner will be ready in about five minutes, that okay, Haru-chan?" Haruka opened the door to her room, but stopped to turn and reply to her mother,

"Hai, okaa-san," Haruka took a step into her room, "Oh God." Haruka was faced with quite a sight. Michiru was in the middle of removing her turtle neck, showing a black spaghetti strap top underneath, and Michiru's creamy skin. Instantly Haruka's eyes scanned the other girl's body, subconsciously she was taking advantage of this moment. Haruka was so dumbfounded that in fact, she only gently closed the door behind her, leaving it slightly ajar.

"Haruka, are you okay?" The blonde turned away, she had been caught in the act. 'Yes, score Kaioh' thought Michiru while she tried her best to keep her innocent smile on her face. Haruka mumbled a little and Michiru took that as an embarrassed version of "Yeah, I'm fine, let's just get on with it." Michiru shrugged and looked over to the bed, where Haruka was not sitting on, the blonde had opted for the floor. Michiru smiled to herself as a little idea came to her,

"Hey, Haruka, do you mind if I lay on the bed? The chair is really uncomfortable in this heat." Despite the heat of the room, Haruka froze.

"You want to lay on my bed? Um, sure." Good Lord, Haruka thought Christmas had come early for sure, but she had to stay in control, she couldn't afford to do anything too stupid. Michiru skipped over to the bed and laid down on it, her stomach making contact with the ever-so-soft mattress, she propped herself up on her elbows, and opened her laptop and placed it to the side of her. She looked down at Haruka, she couldn't help but notice the blonde had her head facing downwards, not at all daring to look up.

"Haruka? This presentation would go a lot easier if you spoke, you know?" Michiru giggled and the blonde could feel her heart skip a beat. She slowly raised her head, and instantly regretted it. She was given a perfect view straight down Michiru's top, and what a view, Haruka could not draw her eyes away, but then as Michiru cleared her throat, Haruka found the willpower to look into the girl's eyes. Eyes which were at the moment very amused. Haruka gulped,

"S-s-sorry, I erm, spaced out." Great excuse, you idiot, she thought to herself, why don't you just say, while you're on my bed mind if I jump your bones and perform unspeakable acts of pleasure on you? 

Honesty was the best policy she had been told but just the thought of even implying something like that to the goddess in front of her caused the blonde to decide it was robably better to just think rather than to speak. Michiru grinned,

"No problem, I space out too." Michiru took that moment to take a look over Haruka's physique. Taking in every muscle that was now slowly becoming apparent in the blonde's slightly wet shirt thanks to all the humidity. Michiru had to bit her lip to keep from saying something out loud.

"We should get on, Michiru-san, I don't want to waste any time."

"Me neither." Michiru thought it was a shame that Haruka was speaking about the presentation and not her. There was actually no need to do the presentation, Michiru had already done it, the day after their essays, in order to have all the time she needed to nudge Haruka in the right direction.

"You know, Haruka... I would be interested to know what you thought of the book. It's concepts and all that, it would make the presentation seem more equal then." For the first time in weeks, Michiru saw the blonde close her book, and lean back, her palms outstretched behind her and Haruka thinking deeply. So cute, thought Michiru.

"I thought the book was pointless." Before Michiru could respond, Haruka continued, "It was pointless of the character's to try and alter their fate, their destiny, it's the way things were then, no matter what they wanted, they had to just accept it as that being the way things were. Heathcliff may have been in love with Catherine, but she was above him in every way. He was an outcast, and regardless of whether or not she loved him, she had a place in society, and family that disapproved, so you always knew he would never be with her. Pointless." Michiru looked in shock and awe at Haruka's explanation. She decided to go on the counter,

"Yes, but they didn't get together because they never told each other. Outcast or not, lady or not, love is love, if Heathcliff had the guts to come out and say it in the first place, they could have experienced true love together! It's clear they loved each other!" Michiru could feel her voice rise an octave and she had to contain herself. 'Calm down, Kaioh'

On the other side of the door, two sets of eyes; one green and one a startling purple, were peering into the room unnoticed. The owner of the green eyes turned to the younger person beside them,

"Michiru's not being subtle is she? Because if she is, she's worse than me at it." Hotaru sighed,

"No, Leon-papa, she's trying to get Haruka to confess her feelings!" Hotaru turned to Leon, both were in crouching positions, their faces away from the stairs, both ignoring the sound of footsteps slowly travelling up them.

"Oh! So you think it's Heathcliff's responsibility to come and let out all his emotions? Leave himself as vulnerable as hell and that's okay?"

"Of course it's Heathcliff's responsibility, he's the man, he should be fearless!" Haruka scoffed in disbelief and stood up from her space on the floor. Michiru knelt on the bed, her arms crossed.

"Oh, so because someone acts fearless it should be up to them to let out all their emotions? I thought women were supposed to handle emotions, why doesn't Catherine come out and say it first?" Michiru threw her arms up in disbelief,

"Oh. My. God! Catherine is a lady, it's not approved of in her society or by her friends and family!" It was now Haruka's turn to throw her arms up in the air,

"Oh my God! Screw her society, if she really gave a fuck about her friends and family and her damned image, she should never have even befriended him in the first place!" Michiru laughed out loud,

"Do all men think like this?" Haruka shot her a venomous glare,

"I am not a man." Michiru raised her eyebrow.

"Not physically. Honestly, a man wouldn't know a hint if it hit him in the face!"

"Oh yeah, what are some of these signs then?" Michiru smirked,

"If you're not a man, why would I need to explain these things to you?" Haruka went red,

"Shut up! I'm just saying, how is someone supposed to know when someone has feelings for them?!"

"When the other person does everything they can to spend every moment with the other person, regardless of how difficult it may be! Damn it, Haruka, are you really this dumb?!" Instantly the blonde froze and Michiru whipped a delicate porcelain hand to her mouth, her eyes widened in shock.

"What did you say?" Michiru couldn't quite think of anything to say, other than to repeat her previous sentence, albeit at a much, much lower tone.

"Are you really this dumb?" The blonde instantly smirked, a fire lit her eyes and she stepped forward slowly towards the aqua-haired teen, and gently placed her hands on her waist, and leaned her head forward, seeing no hesitation from Michiru, Haruka continued, a smile still on her face, and her heart racing faster than ever before. She could smell Michiru's perfume again and that sent waves of excitement down her spine, Michiru smelled sweet and Haruka could only guess her lips tasted sweeter. Haruka and Michiru closed their eyes as their lips were only an inch apart...

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU TWO ARE DOING?! GET AWAY FROM THERE!" Instantly the two teens jumped back from each other, fifteen feet easily dividing them, and a guilty look on each others' face. Haruka turned to the door, expecting to see the owner of the voice; her mother screaming at her, but instead she heard her continue to berate two completely different people.

"Leon, what are you doing lurking around Haruka's door?! Have you no respect for her privacy?! And Hotaru, I am deeply disappointed in you!" Haruka ran to her door and opened the already slightly ajar door open. She could see her father cowering from her mother, a deeply irritated look on the usually graceful features and Hotaru seeming very guilty and ashamed herself.

"I'm sorry, Yumi-mama, but we just thought – "

"No! There is no excuse for it, what if – " Yumi stopped speaking as soon as she saw her irate daughter standing in her doorway, glaring at the three of them. Leon turned around and instantly saw Haruka; a mixture of anger and sadness overwhelming her eyes.

"Haruka, I'm sorry, we just thought that – " Leon was cut off by Haruka, her voice low and menacing.

"What the hell were you doing?" She looked down at Hotaru, for the first time ever angry at the girl. She said nothing but Leon spoke in a whisper.

"I'm sorry, Haruka." Haruka looked at him,

"The heating isn't broken is it?" Leon shook his head at Haruka's question,

"So what was all this? Some ploy to embarrass me, dad?" Leon said nothing but Haruka could hear behind her the sound of movement. She turned and saw Michiru putting her jumper back on, and closing her laptop.

"I had better go." Haruka tried to grab her arm before she walked out but she was unsuccesful, as Michiru rushed down the stairs, and the clear vision of a tear forming in her eyes, caused the blonde to be almost paralysed from the waist down.

"Michiru! Stay!" The door slammed shut a few seconds later. And Haruka turned once again to her family. Yumi looked at Leon,

"It seems that Haruka's not the only one embarrassed. Go and fix this." Leon was truly sorry for his actions.

"I was only trying to help them along! It's true, Ruka!" Another silence engulfed them. Haruka turned into her room and slammed the door into the faces of three people, Yumi sighed, she understood Haruka's anger. Yumi lead Leon and Hotaru downstairs, and spoke quietly,

"What possessed you two, you know what Haru-chan is like with girls she likes... you embarrassed her and Michiru-san to death." Hotaru looked to Leon who sat down, and seemed close to tears,

"I thought if they had to go upstairs and talk about the lovey-dovey book, they might confess their feelings. And they were about to kiss when you screamed... you know, when you think about it – "

"Leon, you dare try and blame me for you snooping around your daughter's room, so help me the couch will become your new bed." Leon gulped. He knew he was in the wrong.

"I have to fix this, Yumi." She sighed and sat next to her husband, Hotaru silently watched them.

"How Leon? They have one night left together and I think both of them are too embarrassed to even look each other in the eye." Leon hung his head, he didn't know what to do, but he couldn't bare to see Haruka so unhappy, and after he saw how perfect the two were for each other, he had to help them get back together, if only for one night.

"I don't know how, Yumi." Leon threw his head back over the couch. Hotaru sighed.

"I hope Michiru still turns up tomorrow. Hachi's won't be as much fun otherwise." Leon's head suddenly bolted and he grinned, Yumi and Hotaru looked at him questioningly. He had an idea to get the together. No-one could resist that one dance. The only thing left was to get them to dance that way. Leon jumped up, he had to make a few calls. He grabbed the phone, and Yumi looked at him, confusion etched over her features,

"Leon, what are you doing?" He grinned widely, regaining some of his old arrogant self,

"Making a few phone calls, babe." He decided in that moment, that before Haruka left, her feelings and resolve for Michiru would be decided tomorrow night. All he had to do was get everyone to help him. First one to be called? Minako Aino, for sure after Leon spoke to her, it would be a matter of time before all of Haruka's other friends helped him with his plan. He grinned. 'I'm a genius!'

* * *

**A/N 2 – Mwahaha, I know I'm totally evil, right? R&R cos I love it and you know you want to!**

**Ciao!**


	10. I'd Be Surprisingly Good For You

**A/N – I am SO sorry for the long update but I promise this should satisfy some of you. Yes, things are slow moving but that's because it is necessary to set the mood for it all. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this, it has taken me over a week to write this one chapter, so you had better! Thanks to RukaMichi for making me update with her ever so subtle hints ;) Anyway enough ranting and on with the show! (Thanks for all the awesome reviews for the last chapter by the way, they were uber smexxi - thats's a hint to give me more!)**

* * *

**CHA****PTER 10 – I'D BE SURPRISINGLY GOOD FOR YOU**

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

A rough hand crawled out from under the covers and smacked the offensive alarm clock. Soon, duvet covers were moved back from the bed and a tuft of blonde hair became visible. The form in the bed groaned loudly, and slowly the racer sat up in her bed, gripping her head, still reliving the nightmare that was last night. Her father had set it up, her parents had no meeting to go to, Hotaru called him while in the kitchen, he annoyed her and made them go work in her room, then he put the heating on full and spied on them just as they were about to – oh God, that should have been the greatest kiss of the tomboy's life, and she was so close to claiming Michiru's lips and the entire moment was stolen by her family once again embarrassing her to high heaven. And poor Michiru, the blonde called her a few hours later, when it was near midnight, and it was one of the awkward moments of her life.

* * *

"_Moshi moshi, Kaioh Michiru speaking." The blonde gulped nervously at her end of the phone._

"_Michiru... hi." Another silence, it was almost deafening. It seemed as though the younger girl wasn't going to say anything, so the blonde took the initiative._

"_About tonight, I don't know what happened but I'm sorry." Another silence. At the other end of the phone, the blonde couldn't see the aqua-haired teen fight a tear back. Before regaining her graceful composure Michiru responded,_

"_That's fine, Haruka-sama. Is that all? It is quite late." Haruka frowned, she had to stall. _

"_What about the project? We need to finish it and email it by tomorrow and we don't get that -"_

"_Don't worry about the project," Michiru interrupted and sighed, "The project's finished, I emailed it yesterday." The blonde frowned again._

"_Yesterday, but we only started it tonight." A very clear sigh could be heard down the phone,_

"_No, I did it over a week ago. Haruka I have to go. Goodnight."_

"_Wait! Will I see you tomorrow?" Another silence. Haruka could only think of how painful every silence was to her. Finally Michiru spoke,_

"_Goodnight, Haruka-sama." The click of a phone being hung up was heard then the only sound that graced Haruka's ears was that of the dialling tone. It took another thirty seconds before she hung up then threw herself into her covers. She turned over and yelled,_

"_I HATE YOU ALL!"_

* * *

The blonde shook her head and sat in her bed, had she really been that stupid? Were all the signs there all along? If so, she really was, no wait; not was, she really IS an idiot. And her father had been such an idiot, but he knew how she felt, the old ass probably thought he was helping her. Did Michiru truly feel that way for her? If it was that obvious then who else knew? Haruka closed her eyes and thought back, there was no way Seiya knew, he seemed convinced he had a chance with Michiru, but Haruka had this feeling that after last night, Michiru was strictly interested in girls. The blonde thought to all her friends, Elza knew Haruka liked her, but Haruka needed to speak to someone who would have known about Michiru's feelings. Who? Who spoke to Michiru the most? Not Usagi, definitely not Mina-chan or Rei... Ami? No... Mako-chan! The blonde instantly reached for her phone and madly began tapping in Makoto's phone number. After four attempts, it was finally answered.

"Moshi moshi? Kino residence." Haruka's eyebrows rose higher than ever before,

"Ami? Oh..." Wow, this was awkward, why would Ami be at Makoto's apartment that early? Haruka knew they had been going out for a few months but so quickly? Mako, you sly dog, you! "Is... Mako-chan there, Ami-san?" An instant 'eep' could be heard followed by shuffling and after a few seconds the distinct sound of Makoto chuckling could be heard.

"Hey, Haruka, I think you scared the hell out of Ami... um, do you think you could – " The blonde instantly cut her friend off;

"Listen, I won't tell anyone but I do need to talk to you, it's important." Haruka took a deep breath, readying her nerves to tell Makoto everything about last night, about Michiru, everything.

"Yeah, yeah I know, your dad already called me last night, so what do you want, Haru-chan?" After Haruka regained her senses which were temporarily dulled by her seething rage, she found her voice.

"He called you? Does he not know when to leave me be?!" A sigh was heard from Makoto's end,

"Look, Haruka before you get angry at him, he told me how he fucked up your chance with Michiru last night. He feels pretty bad, he just wanted me to make sure you came to Hachi's tonight."

"Of course, I'm going, even though I'm now in a shitty mood, I'd never let down uncle Hachi by not turning up."

"Really? Good, Mina-chan's ensuring that Michiru comes tonight." Haruka frowned,

"Why is everyone getting involved?" Makoto groaned;

"Because if we don't, you two will take forever to get together. See, we all know you like her Haruka and Michiru told me she likes you. Now, it used to be you getting to admit your feelings, now it's getting both of you to get the guts to just get over your embarrassment and admit it to each other, and after you say it, acting on it instead of being a bunch of shy little girls. So tonight, turn up and take the girl of your dreams. Got it?" A silence. Makoto waited patiently.

"Wow, you don't fuck around eh, Kino? But... I'm leaving in a week, is there a point now?" Makoto sighed,

"Is there ever a point? Just make sure you turn up at Hachi's okay? See you at eight, idiot."

Haruka stared at her phone is a state of shock. Makoto could really be a bitch when necessary. And it was necessary. But now, Haruka had other things to deal with; her father being a main thing today, and shortly after that, she had to get the guts to go to Hachi's. Ah, Uncle Hachi!

Hachi is a long time friends of Leon Tenoh. He was half Japanese, half Argentinean, he spent his childhood in Miami, where his father emigrated to shortly before Hachi's birth. Then when Hachi was ten, they moved to Japan to provide better for him and when Hachi was eighteen he wanted to go to NYU to study music and history, and after he was accepted that was where he met Leon in their youth, and Hachi was taught by Leon how to dance and the two used to tell Haruka about how they used these same dance moves to attract girls when they used to go to dancing clubs. That's where Leon met Yumi and fell in love, Hachi in fact dared Leon to dance with Yumi, as the usually confident dancer was so scared of approaching such a beautiful woman, but after Hachi dared him and Leon accepted he couldn't have been happier; Leon had found the love of his life, and he owed it all to Hachi being an annoying ass. When Hachi completed university, he moved back to Japan and opened up his own bar, with money he inherited shortly after his father's death. Hachi had to look after his mother when she got older and the club more than provided it. It was one of, if not, the most popular Latin-quarter club in all of Tokyo – 'A Paixao de Vida', Leon told him to name the club passion of life because at the end of the day, that's what dancing is about, passion of life. When Haruka was born, Hachi was made Haruka's godfather instantly, and Haruka couldn't ask for a better man to be her godfather, she was never told the exact story but Yumi said that Hachi was once married after arriving in Japan, but his wife never had the chance to have his baby, as she died giving birth and the baby didn't survive either. Hachi never remarried but Haruka adored him as she did her real father and he adored her as though she was his own daughter, though she hadn't seen him very often due to F2 but any opportunity to see Hachi was a chance to take advantage of. Hachi's real name was Marcos Hachimachi Hajiro, but he earned the nickname Hachimaki when Haruka was three and her father called him Hachimachi all the time but due to the white cloth around his head Haruka thought her father called him Hachimaki, so that's what she called him... and everyone has called him it ever since. And they will most probably continue to call him that till their dying days.

And tonight, Hachi had his club open only for exclusive and approved people. Haruka had to be there and ready by eight, as this was her send-off' from all her friends and family. Haruka smiled to herself but then it disappeared as soon as she thought of the possibility of Michiru not turning up tonight.

There was a knock at the door and then the gentle sound of Setsuna's voice could be heard,

"Can I come in, Haru-chan?"

"Yeah, whatever." The blonde racer leaned back in bed, still in her shorts and tank top and Setsuna opened the door, her silk robe covering her frame. She smiled gently and made her way to the end of Haruka's bed,

"Hey... Yumi told me what happened last night... you okay?" Haruka didn't say a thing, she didn't need to, Setsuna knew her so well, she could even tell what the blonde's silences meant. Setsuna half-smirked, "Hotaru told me you kissed her."

"NO!" Haruka covered her mouth with her hand and then grimaced, "No... but I was so close and they all messed it up." Setsuna smiled as Haruka covered her face with her hands.

"Hey, don't worry about it. But, let's just relax and enjoy tonight, okay? She'll be there... embarrassed or not, tonight is everyone's last chance to see you really. Next week you'll be so busy with packing and leaving we won't get to see you. So please, enjoy tonight, Haruka." Setsuna stood and left the room. The blonde looked over at her clock, it was 10am. She had ten hours to waste; she decided to just stay in bed until 6pm and then get ready then. Today was going to be one hell of an awkward day.

* * *

In the downstairs of the Tenoh household, Leon had his ear to the phone,

"Hachi, no, listen to me man, Haruka will not kill me! Just make sure that the band play that song, okay? I guarantee once they hear it, it'll bring them together again? How can I be sure? I just know, okay? Okay, see you in a few hours... and Hachi? Thanks." Leon grinned and looked over at his wife.

"Tonight is going to be fantastic, Yumes, just you wait and see."

* * *

"Michiru-san, as much as I agree that blue really is your colour, I think you should venture for something a little more daring! Not red... Rei would kill you... What about – OH MY GOD! A LBD!" Michiru's eyebrows knotted together while she sat on her bed, in her blue jeans and light blue blouse. Minako stumbled back from her closet and had to steady herself against a wall, her eyes glazed over,

"Mina-chan, are you okay?" Michiru rushed over to Minako who had nearly fainted at the sight in the wardrobe. Before Michiru could actually place a hand on Minako's shoulder, the young blonde had dived back into the wardrobe and held out a very seductive looking black dress. Minako's eyes glazed over,

"You have a Chanel LBD in your wardrobe and you didn't tell me!" Michiru looked confused at Minako, who simply continued, "This is the most astounding Little Black Dress I have ever seen in my life... oh! Look at the detail – simple on the shoulders, no sheer, I hate the sheer! Look at this fabric, I am so jealous you own a Chanel, and OH! A nice long slit up the side, must go to mid thigh, hehe, you ever worn this before, Michiru-san?!" After Minako finally took a breath and Michiru registered the hyper blonde had asked her a question, Michiru shook her head, returned to reality and smiled politely,

"Once. I was having a launch and I thought it would look nice. Although my manager thought it was a little too grown up for me." Michiru covered her mouth – damn, she had let her cover down! But it seems that Minako had not noticed, her eyes had fallen on something else in Michiru's wardrobe. Minako said nothing as she took out a dress from the back of the wardrobe, awestruck. In her hands, the blonde handled a dress as though it were the Holy Grail; it was a shimmering light blue, if anything just off-white, with a V-neck cut, and mid shoulder sleeves, the top of the dress tailed down as a slim fit to the waist, a sash of the dress's colour hung around the midriff and the dress from there appeared to trail over, reaching what one could only assume was ankle length. Minako could only stare at the beautiful dress before her.

"Michiru-san... what is this dress?" Michiru had to turn away as she could feel a lump forming in her throat. The memories from a night that seemed so long ago resurfaced, she turned to Minako and put a fake smile on her face, unbeknownst to Minako.

"I was going to wear it once to a charity fundraiser... but I never got the chance to."

"What happened Michiru-san?" Michiru could only hear concern in Minako's voice, even though she had only known the girl for a few months, she trusted her and her friends more than she had ever trusted anyone. Michiru sighed.

"I was going to dance with my old instructor. Her name was Karin and she had the most startling green eyes, a brunette too, and she had taught me for years. She was only a few years older than me but highly revered in the dance community, so my parents got her for me. I asked her to come to this fundraiser with me, because at the time I was certain I was desperately in love with her and she with me, we had stolen kisses from each other and even more when she lingered in our home after the dance." Michiru sighed and looked out of the window, Minako still stared at the young beauty with concerned eyes, the violinist took a deep breath and continued, "I was running late to the concert and decided to take the dress to ballroom and to change when I got there. I arrived an hour late and as I rushed past the ballroom to get changed, I caught sight of her in the corner of my eye, dancing with one of the younger men there, that didn't bother me... but at the end of their waltz, the two went to a corner and I saw her kiss him passionately. When I spoke to her the next day she told me she had no interest in me and was just keeping a rich brat interested so she wouldn't lose the dance hours she had with me." Michiru brought her knees up to her body and wrapped her arms around them but before she could secure her arms, Minako flung herself at Michiru, hugging the older girl tightly.

"Michiru-san, I am so sorry to hear that!" Michiru broke the embrace and looked into the slightly watering eyes of the blonde, she wiped her tears away and smiled at her,

"Don't cry, Mina-chan, I'm over it, so you shouldn't waste tears over it." Mina shook her head,

"No! Oh my Michiru, when did this happen?" Michiru suddenly was pulled into another hug and she smiled gently,

"It happened ten months ago." Minako let go of the older girl and stared at her in shock,

"So soon and you have gotten over it?" Michiru looked at the dress and smiled a little more.

"Hai, Mina-chan... I even planned to wear this dress tomorrow, for the waltz, it would be perfect." Minako nodded, then she smiled deviously, Michiru caught onto this,

"You know if that had happened to me, I would have taken a lot longer to get over it, Michiru-san." Michiru looked at the blond and raised an eyebrow curiously. Minako continued to speak,

"I mean, unless of course I had met someone else... someone new." Minako looked at Michiru knowingly and the aqua-haired teen blushed, Minako continued, "But you know, I don't understand why you don't want to see Haruka after last night. It's clear she likes you, and you like her, so why run off?" The blonde watched the aqua haired girl with interest. Michiru sighed,

"Because I got worried and nervous. I threw myself at her practically, and that's when she took advantage of it... maybe she'll think I'm – that - kind of girl. And I'm not." Minako placed a hand on Michiru's shoulder and spoke in a calm and soothing voice,

"Haru-chan would never think that about anyone. Especially not you."

Michiru turned away thinking of that sentence. It meant the world to her, if Haruka didn't see her like that then she could salvage what little they had and let Haruka know exactly her intentions to her, not lust-fuelled only, but pure and loving. After Keiko and Karin, weren't they both entitled to that? Michiru smiled gently and looked at Minako who glanced at her watch.

"Oh my, it's nearly four... I don't know about you but I take hours to prepare for a night out, we had better get ready Michiru!" Michiru threw her a confused look;

"Ready for what?" If Minako had held a glass, she surely would have dropped it, instead it was just her jaw that hit the floor. Instantly an intensity took over her eyes and she seemed to glow eerily,

"YOU ARE GOING TO THE PARTY TONIGHT, REGARDLESS WHAT YOU SAY!" She returned to her normal smiling self, and giggled, "So grab your LBD and follow me to Rei's, I gotta help her undress, I mean, help her dress!" The young blonde grinned, Minako was glad that Michiru hadn't noticed her slip, but still the older girl stood there in shock, not moving. Minako waved her hand in front of Michiru's face,

"Earth to Neptune!" Instantly Michiru was thrown from her trace from the use of the word 'Neptune'.

"Neptune?"

"You ARE Aiko Neptune, aren't you?" Usually the young violinist would deny any claim like that but today Michiru didn't see the need to lie.

"Hai. I am." Minako looked at Michiru, she seemed confused as the aqua-haired teen sat down. Minako jumped in the air and struck a victory pose,

"I knew it!" Michiru seemed confused as she followed the blonde out of the house, but before Michiru could say anything, Minako continued to boast of her newly confirmed suspicion.

"It doesn't take a genius to figure out that the world famous violinist Aiko Neptune and Mugen Gakuen first string violin Michiru Kaioh are the same person!" Michiru's face almost drained of colour

"How did you know?" Minako laughed out loud, but then sweat-dropped.

"Er... Ami told me." It was Michiru's turn to laugh now... doesn't take a genius huh? Minako then recovered from her wounded pride and smiled,

"Hey if you can keep a secret... you're not the only superstar you know... everyone knows about Haruka but not many know about me," Michiru raised her eyebrows in anticipation and Minako once again struck her victory pose, "I am Sailor V!" She said proudly. Michiru looked at Minako and soon all the similarities were making sense. The popular TV show and Minako's obsession with fame and being an idol. Michiru smiled, she wasn't alone now, the others were like her. Minako grabbed her arm and threw Michiru into her car,

"Now, come on, let's go and sex you up, Michiru!" All this time, Michiru hadn't noticed the little black dress that Minako had grabbed for her. The young violinist had no interest in going to the party tonight but she had just decided to face Haruka. Michiru was sure she had made a fool of herself in front of the girl, sure they had nearly kissed but Michiru had to really put herself out there to get the blonde's attention; And Michiru really couldn't shake off completely the feeling that maybe the tomboy only had a physical interest in Michiru, not a deeper feeling for her. Even though Minako and the others may think otherwise, Haruka has only ever shown an interest in her when she acted seductively. She was either only interested in one thing or the blonde was shy around the young violinist. Michiru couldn't stop to think of how Haruka only seemed to take an interest when dancing and Michiru became more sensual and was all over the blonde, and of course the night before when Michiru had to practically shove her chest in the blonde's face before she declared how much she liked her and finally they made it to the next level... well nearly. Michiru found herself sighing at this highly depressing thought, but the more she thought of it, the more it made her confused, tonight she had to really sort everything out – Haruka wouldn't be at the Comps tomorrow and they'd probably not see each other for a year, maybe more, and Michiru couldn't go that long without finding out exactly how the tall racer felt about her. None of this mattered at the moment though because Minako was on a mission and she was determined. She had to get Michiru to Hachi's dressed to the nine's, and to the nine's she would be!

* * *

Back in the Tenoh household, it was 7:30pm, and Yumi, Leon, Setsuna and Hotaru sat in the living room patiently. Yumi was in a simple golden velvet dress, not too clingy but Leon thought it showed her femininity perfectly, and he did love her feminine side... and her curves too. Leon himself was dressed in black dress pants, with a very loud but somehow complimenting orange dress shirt, made of a very smooth material, that Yumi had a hard time not touching at the moment. Hotaru was in her favourite black and purple dress, with long sleeves and came to just below her knees. Setsuna was dressed in a halter neck, with a chocolate brown blazer and skirt that came just above her knees and a killer pair of Manolo's that Yumi gave for her to wear that night. They all looked at the clock and patiently still they waited, until they all looked up at the stairs after the distinct sound of a door closing caught their attention. They all stood up and looked at the stairs expectedly, and sure enough after a few moments, Haruka came walking leisurely down the stairs, dressed in black pants, black leather shoes, a black blazer, a white dress shirt with a white fitted t-shirt underneath, her hair was under more control than usual, giving it a dirty blonde look under the hair products that were used to make it appear a little slicker than usual.

"You look good, Ruka!" Hotaru beamed at her 'papa' and was greeted with a half-hearted smile. Leon grinned too, Haruka looked perfect for the night he had planned.

"Ready to go, Haruka?" The blonde ignored her father and this did not go unnoticed.

"Oh, c'mon! You cannot still be pissed off at me!" Still Haruka ignored him, she stood staring at the door, Leon sighed, "Fine, we had better get to Hachi's quickly." Yumi threw her husband a look and he ignored her, intent on getting into the car and getting everyone to Hachi's as soon as possble.

* * *

At 8:05pm, the residents of the Tenoh household pulled into the parking lot of a tall building, seemingly made of wood, large in its stature, but appearing to be similar to the buildings you saw in the slums of South American cities. In large green letters above the doors were the lively neon letters that spelt out 'A Paixao De Vida!' Yumi was first out of the car, smiling fondly at the club, from inside the gentle sound of music could be heard from inside – Hachi had the live band as well as the DJ here, tonight should be fun as hell. Leo stepped out of the car, took a deep breath and grinned,

"Oh man, the air here is so good! I bet Hachi has a bunch of good food... Let's head in!" Leon led the way, followed by Yumi who had her arm linked with his, Setsuna and Hotaru walked ahead leaving a particularly miserable Haruka walking slowly behind them. Leon looked over at his daughter and sighed, he thought of how in a matter of hours she would be thanking him for everything that happened tonight – providing Minako got here in time, and that Elza managed to get Haruka onto the dance-floor. Hachi had even got every single song to be played tonight from Leon, as Leon liked to call it – irresistible sexy music. Hey, if it worked for him and Yumi it should work for Haruka and Michiru.

As he reached the steps he thought of how similar they all were. Michiru was a fine and elegant young lady, well dressed, well spoken and well mannered, just like his Yumi. Then there was Haruka, she was flirtatious, curt, sarcastic but totally fun loving if not sometimes crude, but she could have her suave moments. Leon only saw himself in his daughter and he grinned to himself.

"At least they'll have tonight." Yumi looked at Leon as he muttered this out loud. She saw his downcast look, and realised that although all the effort he had put into tonight would not go unrewarded, it was sad that even if Haruka and Michiru finally got together tonight, they would only have tonight for each other for at least a year. Yumi too found herself with the same downcast look; why couldn't her little Ruka, after finding a girl she really liked, maybe even loved just have the opportunity to stay with her for a little, let their romance bloom. For the first time in a long while, Yumi found herself inwardly cursing the racing team and Haruka's love for motorsports. Even Haruka loved this girl, Haruka's dream of being in the F1 only came around once, and no-one could blame her for taking advantage of the opportunity thrown in her face.

Leon opened the door and his ears were instantly attacked with fierce but passionate music. The live band that played was on top form in their last minute practice. The trumpets were bringing a life to the place that they hadn't seen in a while, and for Leon it felt like he could really let go tonight, have fun, and maybe see his daughter happy for the first time in ages. He couldn't help but grin at the way tonight should go, he really had a lot of faith in his abilities. But before Leon could think any further, Leon found himself enveloped in a hug from a man he considered to be like the brother he never had.

"Hachi!" Leon laughed and returned the hug. Leon looked at his best friend and smiled fondly; even after Hachi's wife's death almost twenty years ago, he seemed as youthful and energetic as ever, even when Yumi and he were worried about Hachi's depression and thought he would even take his own life. But here he was, his ear length brown hair was as unruly as ever but held back that familiar white cloth that covered his forehead and tied at the back, and trailed past his shoulders. His familiar blue eyes sparkled with that warmth and happiness that Leon was glad to see ever present. Tonight, Hachi had opted to wear his chocolate brown suit with a cream shirt and his cream dress shoes. Hachi pulled apart from his hug with his 'brother' and smiled,

"Hey, Leon, long time no see, how you doing?"

"I'm good Hachi... is everything ready for tonight?" Hachi simply smiled and nodded, but he instantly turned to Yumi and bowed slightly and took her hand in his and kissed the back of it.

"Yumi, you look as fabulous as ever." Leon rose an eyebrow and playfully punched Hachi in the arm, Hachi mock pouted.

"Hachi, that's my wife, remember?" Hachi smirked while Yumi simply grinned and looked to Leon, she gave him a gentle kiss on his cheek,

"Don't be jealous, darling... just because your eyes are green doesn't mean that's all you have to see with them." Leon looked at Yumi and smiled.

"Let's get in, I'm starving!" Yumi could only roll her eyes at her husband's obsession with eating. She simply took him by the arm and headed over to the table that was set up for at least twenty people, by the edge of the dance-floor. Hotaru and Setsuna followed Yumi and Leon and Haruka skulked into the room, Hachi saw her downcast look and slung his arm over his shoulder,

"Hey now, what's that face for? You should be happy Haru-chan, you got your big race tomorrow right? So why so sad?" Hachi already knew everything; Leon called him the night before and told him what had happened between Haruka and this girl. Hachi had the band arranged to get here last minute to play the songs that Leon selected, he knew that Haruka being the dancer she was would not be able to resist at least one of the songs, and if all went Leon's way, his daughter would end up dancing with this girl; who Leon was convinced had finally gotten Haruka over that Keiko girl.

"Nothing, uncle Hachi. People will be here soon though, so I'm gonna go take my seat, is that okay?" Hachi smiled gently,

"Of course, my Haru-chan. Go take a seat, you should find a little present out by the seat at the head of the table. It's for you. Now go, I gotta make sure everything's up to par for you." Haruka smiled at Hachi and walked away, she loved Hachi but right now she was moody as hell. Haruka walked along the club slowly, every single step resonating along the hardwood floor with a slight click as the hell on her shoe hit the surface beneath her. She stopped before the table and looked up to see Hotaru and Setsuna smiling at her, she smiled gently back. Her eyes then fell onto her parents, her mother looking at her with so much pride and love and then there was her father, smiling at her too. He was smiling a like a bit of a child, he seemed to be more than sorry about the night before and she had given him the cold shoulder all day. Right now he looked like a bit of a puppy that's been told off by its master.

"Can you stop with the pathetic puppy routine, dad?" Leon raised one eyebrow and pouted,

"Can you stop being mean to me? I did say sorry." Haruka kept her gaze locked with her father. This was their game usually, but right now, it was their test; the first to look away loses. They kept staring, a smirk raising to Leon's lips while Haruka clenched her jaw slightly. Both were so involved, that neither noticed that more people had entered the club and were being led over to the large area reserved for the 'Tenoh party'. Yumi sighed at the two stubborn Tenoh's in front of her and turned her head to greet the guests who had just arrived. She was greeted with the sight of Rei, Ami, Makoto, Usagi and Mamoru; Rei in a red dress that clung to her waist and curves but was a looser fit on the top half of her body. Usagi was in a cute little matching off-white near pink skirt and blouse with a mid body waistcoat, and Mamoru was dressed in dark blue trousers and a deep purple/blue shirt. Ami was dressed a blue summer dress, ideal for the weather and Makoto had a pair of brown slacks and a chocolate brown shirt with green trim, she had her hand proudly on Ami's shoulder.

"Glad to see you could all make it. Well, well, don't we look beautiful tonight, girls? Rei you look divine and Usagi-chan, you are looking very kawaii tonight. Mamo-chan, you're as handsome as ever." Yumi listened to the giggle of the young girls, "Where is Mina?" Usagi grinned,

"She's outside with Michiru-chan, deciding whether or not to come in. But don't worry, Mina-chan is making sure she comes in!" Usagi beamed but then began to drool as soon as she saw all the food behind Yumi that was being placed on the table. Mamoru had to hold for dear life as Usagi leapt at the table and began stuffing as much as she could into her mouth. Yumi was about to comment when the door opened and in walked Minako and Michiru. Hotaru and Setsuna couldn't help but look too and when they did Hotaru couldn't contain the words that came from her mouth,

"Sugoi... Michiru looks so beautiful!" The second that Michiru was said, Haruka nearly fell backwards of her chair, but was saved by a pair of arms; looking up to see her saviour, she saw Hachi with a big grin on his face.

"Wow, who is that, Yumi?" Yumi looked over to Hachi and smiled,

"You remember Aino Minako ne, Hachi? And that is Kaioh Michiru... friends of Haru-chan's." Haruka still had not regained the ability to speak yet, but she did make it to her feet, Hachi put his hand on her shoulder and grinned at Haruka, who appeared to have not noticed her mouth was wide open and she couldn't keep her eyes off of Michiru. The aqua-haired goddess had her hair up in a simple bun, but with hair down framing her face, and her make-up was matching in shade to her natural beauty, and her dress, oh God the dress... she was wearing the little black dress Minako picked out earlier. It had straps, sleeveless, a simple cut to the waist, where a single black band went around the middle, to accentuate Michiru's curves, and then from the waist downwards it clung to every single curve, as it did for her top half. Hachi chuckled next to Haruka and put his hand under her jaw and closed her mouth,

"Haru-chan, be careful, you don't want birds to start nesting." At Hachi's words, Haruka shook her head, returning to the world she belonged to. She looked to the group that arrived, the only people missing were Taiki, Yaten and Seiya, even Elza had arrived a few minutes after the others and began talking to Hachi. Not that Seiya's absence would dampen her mood but Haruka didn't mind Yaten or Taiki and they usually went everywhere together. Haruka turned to Rei, Usagi, Minako, Makoto and Ami.

"I'm glad you could all come." Haruka bowed low as she spoke. She turned to Michiru who seemed to be a little uncomfortable.

"Thank you for coming, Michiru." Haruka bowed low again and as she rose she smiled gently to the younger girl. Michiru's features softened and she looked down to the tomboy and smiled back. Before Haruka could stop herself, Leon spoke up,

"No Seiya with you, Michiru-chan?" Haruka threw a glare to Leon who only seemed to be smirking. Michiru shook her head gently,

"Not yet, he said he would be here soon, he had to go to Mie Prefecture today... he said he was visiting relatives." Leon glanced over to Haruka who seemed to have avoided looking at Michiru after hearing this information. Leon smiled gently,

"Well, Haru-chan will be there this time tomorrow too. It's a nice place." Michiru winced slightly at the reminder of Haruka's F1 opportunity. Yumi saw this and smiled gently,

"Well, we should all forget about the future. Hachi has prepared a fabulous meal for us all – that's right, Usagi, keep eating, my dear. Let's get on with the night, shall we?" Leon kissed his wife on the cheek at her diplomacy, where would he be without her?

As they all sat down about to have dinner, in waltzed Seiya, not noticing the glare that Hachi and Leon were giving him, and he approached the table,

"Gomen for being late, but traffic was hell!" Haruka kept her gaze to the glass in front of her, but she spoke up to Seiya in a monotonous voice;

"Well, the traffic around this time is bad. It's expected to be worse tomorrow." She lifted her head to stare directly into Seiya's eyes. He held her gaze before smiling politely,

"Thanks for the heads up, Tenoh-san." Yumi noted the unspoken battle between the two and she smiled graciously, before making herself heard,

"Please sit Kou-san. I hope tonight will be a pleasant send-off for you, Ruka." At this Hachi began to chuckle and from behind Haruka and grabbed her around the shoulders,

"I hope I get to see you dance a few times Haru-chan before you give it all up for the glamorous world of F1!" Haruka's face hardened and she shook her head,

"Sorry Hachi, but I'm not dancing tonight." A look of genuine shock covered his face and he frowned slightly before forcing a smile.

"Oh. Well, never mind then, Haru-chan." Haruka saw his look and she sighed deeply,

"Well, I guess, one dance Hachi... I guess... If Elza doesn't mind." Hachi smiled brightly, but Leon frowned, and then looked over to Elza who simply nodded her head silently and smirked. Leon seemed confused but she then winked at him and he just shrugged and began smiling. Yumi once again smiled and looked over to Hachi,

"Hachi, this all looks amazing. What does everyone say we just eat up and get on with the festivities?" Before anyone could respond Minako and Usagi delved into the nearest plate of dumplings and rice, leaving everyone either groaning and slapping their heads or sweat-dropping out of embarrassment; poor Mamoru and Rei.

* * *

About an hour later, a slightly bloated Usagi was smiling deeply at the now empty table and Minako was simply gasping for air,

"Maybe I shouldn't have had that fifth helping of ice cream." Rei shot a look at her 'friend' and simply scoffed,

"I don't think it was the ice cream, Mina... maybe it was the four bowls of rice, two bowls of noodles and four plates of sashimi that was your downfall." Minako simply shot Rei an angelic grin and watched in slight bemusement as Reis slowly melted under that grin.

Hachi and Leon watched the bickering couple for a few seconds and smiled gently; they could see that although Rei and Minako were not open about their relationship, it was clear the two were together and felt deeply for each other. In all the time Leon had known Haruka's friends, he had always sensed that his Ruka was not the only one that inclined... when Haruka first came out, he nearly fainted but then the prospect of no man taking advantage of his daughter ever was such a relief that Leon could only think of supporting his Ruka. He was worried her friends wouldn't accept it but then it turned out Ami and Makoto were a couple and Leon was shocked, he did not see that one coming – not at all. Then there was Usagi who loved Mamoru with al her being and he loved her... and now Leon could tell Rei and Minako had those same deep feelings for each other. Although at school Minako pretended to have an interest in Yaten, Leon never understood that, as Haruka told him months ago that Yaten was a homosexual too and Mina and Yate were using each other as 'covers', Leon could only ponder if there was something in the water at Mugen. He sighed deeply; he only wanted his Ruka to be loved and to love as deeply as all her friends got to experience. As Leon finished this thought he was nudged by Hachi who looked over to the band who had been playing some ambient music for the past hour. Leon grinned and stood up, and turned to his wife,

"Ne, Yumi, give me a dance later, okay?" Yumi eyed her husband suspiciously, he grinned and asked her again, this time much more politely,

"My dearest beautiful angel, may I have the pleasure of dancing with you?" She smiled and rose from her seat,

"Much better Leon... glad to see you still remember how a gentleman should treat a lady." Leon grinned and the two adults followed Hachi over to the band, who then looked over to the table. Leon jogged back over to the table,

"Hey Mina-chan, Yaten-chan, would you guys mind singing some songs for us?" Minako nearly toppled Rei over as she jumped up, fist pumping in the air, her other hand doing a victory sign and her trademark smile and wink taking over her face. Yep, Minako loved to sing. Yaten simply bowed and accepted gracefully.

"What songs are they, Hiroji-san?" Yaten was more of the professional out of the two, he wanted to know what to sing before he made a fool of himself; Minako never seemed to have a problem with that. Hachi smiled gently and placed a quick glance over to Haruka,

"Dance with Me is the first one... then a surprise... come with me, I'll show you." Haruka's ears pricked up,

"Dance with me? A tango song? Man, you guys sure are expectant." Hachi made a look of fake shock,

"What are you implying, Ruka-chan?" Haruka stood up, getting everyone's attention, she looked over to Elza, and she chucked gently.

"Hachi, you're telling me you want to play Dance With Me and expect me to resist doing one of my favourite dances?" Hachi smirked,

"So, you gonna dance?" Haruka sighed then she simply nodded, Elza stood up and grinned, she was in a light blue slightly sequinned dress, it made her look quite mature, Haruka gestured to the dancefloor and Elza smiled,

"One moment, Haruka, I'll be there in a second." Elza walked over to the music booth where Leon and Yumi were standing, Leon eagerly awaiting her arrival. Haruka simply shrugged her father's behaviour off – she thought he was just acting like a pervert in his old age. Before Haruka could make a move to the dancefloor, she could hear Seiya's annoying voice.

"Michiru, may I have this dance?" There was no response at first and Haruka simply looked at the aqua-haired girl. Michiru shook her head,

"No, Seiya, I don't really feel like it at the moment to be honest." Seiya seemed a little downhearted, but Haruka decided to speak, trying to sound as nonchalant as one can manage when speaking to someone who has stolen your heart,

"I think you should Michiru... I mean you're tangoing tomorrow... and Kou-san needs all the extra practice with his steps." Michiru looked up at Haruka and a slight smirk graced her features again. Haruka smiled gently, both seemed to ignore Seiya scowling. Michiru stood,

"Well, if it's for the benefit of education, how can I resist?" Haruka had the urge to take Michiru's hand but was stopped by Seiya who happily took Michiru's hand and led her to the floor. Haruka turned to everyone at the table,

"No-one else is dancing? Sets? Mako?" They all shook their head and Sets spoke with a smirk on her lips,

"Haruka, seeing you four dance will be more than all the entertainment we need tonight."

"What are you on about, Sets?" She shook her head and pointed to the dancefloor.

* * *

Elza looked at Leon, and she sighed,

"She'll kill me you know. She may actually die of embarrassment, Leon-san." He grinned while Yumi simply leaned against him,

"I thought you loved seeing Ruka all embarrassed." Elza laughed,

"Yeah, but I don't wanna see her dead... or me for that matter. She'll be pissed at me. She could just walk away you know!" Leon shook his head,

"No, she won't! She's like me... stupid and proud... she won't want to embarrass herself or Michiru, in her mind dancing with her will be less embarrassing than walking away because her hormones are taking over her body!" Leon grinned, clearly pleased at his logic... it clearly only made sense to him as Yumi and Elza both seem confused. Elza shook her head,

"And how can you be sure that we can switch so easily?" Leon smiled wider than usual,

"If I know Seiya, and I do, his tango will be predictable, no imagination... so at the end, he will end on a pose where Michiru's hand will be free from his. Leaving you free to do the switch." Elza seemed to just accept Leon's explanation and she sighed in defeat.

"Haruka's going to kill me." Leon nodded,

"Probably... but remember, if they get together because of this, I will totally buy you those track shoes you've had your eye on since the summer." Elza grinned and looked back, 'holy crap', Haruka was walking over to them, clearly thinking the three were up to something suspect. Leon saw Haruka coming and signaled to Hachi and the band, who in turn gave their cue to Yaten and Minako. Haruka stopped in her tracks as the band started their quick warm-up, she was near the centre of the dance-floor. Elza began walking over to her dance partner, smiling as innocent as anything. Minako and Yaten listened to the tempo of the song. A modern song, for tango, a fun song, that spoke volumes about the feeling of the dance.

Haruka kept her eyes on Elza as the red-head approached her, smiling and seemingly happy about something. Haruak took Elza's hand in hers, while the red-head placed her other hand on the tomboy's shoulder. The blonde found her hand resting at Elza's waist as she closed her eyes, when she opened them a moment later she looked over Elza's shoulder, only to see Michiru standing close to Seiya, his hands on her waist and her hands in the same stance as Elza's. As Haruka was about to walk away, Michiru looked directly into her eyes, sending a chill down the blonde's spine. Elza smiled as she saw that Haruka was staring over her shoulder and without a doubt at the aqua-haired beauty who had taken over the tomboy's mind. Elza cleared her throat and spoke quietly as the band went quiet,

"You know, you could dance with her." Haruka scoffed back,

"And have everyone here staring at us. No thank you." Elza shook her head, the band began the intro to the song, mixed with the DJ decks, Haruka and Elza bent their right knees and let their left legs stretch out behind them. Elza giggled,

"Who cares if anyone's watching? It's obvious you both want to dance with each other." Haruka's eyebrows rose at the comment, 'she wants to dance with me too? Still? After all that happened yesterday?', but before she could start to say anything, the beat kicked in and so did Yaten and Mina's voices, causing Haruka to dance on auto-pilot to the steps that she and Elza knew all too well.

* * *

_Oh come and dance with me, my baby  
Let's dance, do it, go crazy  
The night is young and so are we  
Let's make love and dance the night away_

Haruka and Elza's leg both rose at the same time, bringing them both back up to the same height, across the dancefloor, it seemed as though Seiya opted for a typically boring start of waiting for the music to kick in after the starting chorus. Haruka sighed inwardly, but she carried on dancing with Elza. They both tapped out their left legs and brought them back to their bodies with each of the beats, not once taking their eyes off of each other. As Haruka stepped forward, Elza steped back, she anticipated and followed every single one of Haruka's steps. Elza noticed how far away they were from the only other couple dancing, and decided to take the initiative; she kept her right foot firm and swept her left behind her taking them in the direction they had been coming from, Haruka seemed a little shocked, but followed Elza without complaint. The red-head smirked at her victory, nearly everyone in the room was staring at them, and she had to ensure that she got the stupid, stubborn blonde at least five feet within Michiru by the end of this song. Minako's voice became crystal clear as she sang the next verse.

_What I really wanna do  
Is just dance with you  
And feel your body tight  
Show ya how to do it right  
I can show you every move  
I know just what to do  
Each step we do is refine  
One dance and you'll be mine_

Haruka watched with interest as Elza suddenly slightly rigid upper body forced her into taking steps that she didn't originally have planned. Haruka danced sideways to Elza backwards, still in the direction she had been avoiding, near Seiya and Michiru. But thankfully, she got one sidestep in and forced Elza back in front of her and they stopped moving backwards, but they didn't move forwards either, it seemed as though Haruka had to stay in the line of dancing they were in. Haruka boldly tried to step forward and was successful, a small grin on her face, but she didn't see that Elza had her feet in a slight crossover, forcing the blonde backwards, or else face the embarrassment of overbalancing her partner and seeing Elza crash on the floor on her ass. Over Elza's shoulder, Haruak could see the other couple had began to move slightly in their direction, so Haruka tried a desperate forward toe lead to get Elza backwards. The red-head was at first over the moon with this, 'I got her to comply? No way!'... her victory was short-lived when she saw Michiru and Seiya pass them as Haruka stepped forward again. The red-head growled; time for no mercy. Yaten seemed amused as he took his turn on the mike;

_So baby when we hit the floor  
You'll be asking for more  
Let's make love and dance the night away_

Elza began to dance on the balls of her toes, rigidly, not allowing the blonde the fluidity to move forward, Haruka seemed to scowl and forced a step forward, meaning Elza had to oblige. The red-head narrowed her eyes and smirked at the blonde. Their dance suddenly became fast-paced, with Elza allowing Haruka to step wherever she pleased. Haruka allowed her left foot to stay on the floor while her other swept behind her, gently dragging Elza with it. On that cue, the blonde stepped backward, Elza's right leg bent and rested on the blonde's thigh as she stepped backwards. Haruka watched from the corner of her eye as once again Michiru danced with no desire with Seiya, almost robotic. The tomboy thought about Elza's words and she couldn't help but wonder, if she did just go over and dance with Michiru would it be so bad? What's the worst that could happen? 'You could get rejected and shot down, duh'. The blonde hated her conscience sometimes.

_Oh come and dance with me, my baby  
Let's dance, till we, go crazy  
The night is young and so are we  
Let's make love and dance the night away_

Elza watched Haruka's face with interest, the blonde had that arrogant smirk again, 'You have not won, Tenoh' was all Elza could think, as she finally released her leg from the tomboy's thigh and the two sidestepped in different directions, causing 'ahhs' and 'ooohs' from everyone. As Haruka looked up, she saw two bright blue eyes looking directly into her own dark green, unable to hide her blush, the racer looked away. She couldn't afford to be too close to Michiru, she didn't want to push it after the embarrassment she clearly felt last night. Elza only grinned at her friend's reaction. She looked over to Leon and grinned widely.

_Oh put your hand in mine  
Promise I'll take my time  
We'll dance from head to toe  
I can dance fast or slow  
Baby look into my eyes  
Let the music hypnotize  
Let our bodies synchronize  
One dance and you'll be mine_

Clearly wanting to pay attention to the dance only, Haruka began the steps her and Elza knew had to be synchronised, so as to cause no confusion over leads, each step was in time and perfectly placed. Haruka's left foot went forward, Elza's right went back. Fast-pace and impressive to the beat of the song, causing the two friend's to start to sweat slightly.

_So baby when we hit the floor  
You'll be asking for more  
Let's make love and dance the night away_

Haruka looked up at Elza who still had a bemused look on her face, Haruka didn't say anything because at that moment she was intrigued by Seiya's steps, he had decided it was time for a dip already, but he clearly hadn't timed it well as Michiru nearly fell out of his arms. Haruka felt herself giggle a little as she and Elza executed a perfect dip in response.

_Oh come and dance with me, my baby  
Let's dance, till we, go crazy  
The night is young and so are we  
Let's make love and dance the night away_

Elza and Haruka continued to twirl in tight, perfect steps to the beat, not failing to throw in a good ball-flat for good measure. For added intensity, every now and again the two let their face come within inches of each other's, causing a clear "Sugoi" to come from Usagi nearly thirty feet away but still as audible as ever.

_Oh when it comes to dancing  
I know how to move  
When it comes to passion  
I know just what to do  
I feel the music inside  
I feel like I am alive  
Pretend I was right  
Let's make love_

Haruka and Elza stood facing the same direction, then threw their heads to look at each other, then stepped forward and with ferocious intensity, the two stepped forward, at each third step, stopping slightly, to tap firmly their toe and snap their heads away and back to the partner, then continuing their steps again. One look back to Seiya showed that he simply could not top this show of technical genius so he decided for flamboyant showmanship, which clearly took Michiru by surprise. She was not expecting to be thrown around the room like a ragdoll, but she saved her composure by smiling and twirling back.

_Oh come and dance with me, my baby  
Let's dance, till we, go crazy  
The night is young and so are we  
Let's make love and dance the night away_

Elza simply smiled at Haruka and whispers into her ear breathlessly,

"Why don't we end it on a spin? It'll look much better." At first frightened that Haruka would say no and their chance would be lost, Elza watched with baited breath as Haruka continued to step forward with a pensive expression, then finally she shrugged, and began the build-up the twirl that would let Elza do the switch.

_Oh come and dance  
Let's dance  
The night  
Let's make love and dance the night away_

The song was coming to a slow and so did the dancers tempo, Haruka stepped back with Elza, not noticing that Seiya and Michiru were parallel to them, and she held her body back, brought Elza close again and then spun her as the song came to its end and the singers sung acapella.

_Oh come and dance with me, my baby  
Let's dance, till we, go crazy  
The night is young and so are we  
Let's make love and dance the night away_

Elza spun a few feet, and realised she was perfectly in between Seiya and Michiru. She grinned and instantly placed her hands in Seiya's,

"Seiya-kun, can I steal you to get a drink?" She turned to Michiru, "You don't mind right, Michiru?" The aqua-haired teen was still a little shocked that she and Seiya had been interrupted before the actual end of their dance. Shocked but not upset. Michiru turned to walk off, and stopped at the sight of Haruka fuming at Elza; She was clearly annoyed that she was all over Seiya, leaving Haruka looking a fool at the end of their dance, and watching Elza walk away to the bar area with Seiya. Before Michiru could say a thing, the band started up again with a gentle song she knew well. To the untrained ear, it had no qualities for a tango... but to Haruka, not everything was about rules and regulations, sometimes a song just fit for a mood and a mood always fitted the tomboy for a dance. The blonde instantly recognised the song and she looked up to Michiru. The violinist avoided eye contact with the blonde as she tried to walk past Haruka, but as she passed her, she could feel someone holding her back gently by the wrist. Michiru turned around, only to see Haruka standing with her eyes looking at the ground.

"Michiru... c-could I have this dance. Please?" Michiru's heart nearly broke at Haruka's pleading tone, almost desperate to dance with the younger girl. Michiru smiled gently.

"Of course, Haruka." Before either could move, the sound of cheering could be heard from the area that Leon was currently inhabiting. As his daughter looked at him, he smiled innocently. Michiru giggled innocently, the band's long intro was almost over, and Minako was getting ready to sing, a new gleam of happiness in her eyes as she saw Haruka and Michiru, who then noticed that they were the only couple on the dance-floor. Haruka smiled sheepishly,

"Uh, your dancing was really good there Michiru... I was wondering though... cos this will probably be my last dance with you... could we do the Argentinean steps?" Michiru seemed a little shocked but then her faced seemed at ease.

"Seeing how it's your last night... you can have anything you want, Haruka." Haruka nearly blushed at the statement and so did Michiru when she realised what she had actually said. Haruka decided to turn around and start the dance from a different perspective. She could on hope that Michiru would catch on. Michiru looked at first curious when Haruka seemed to be walking away, but then the blonde stopped when the band replayed the beginning at Mina's cue, the secret idol cleared her throat and sang gently with Yaten.

* * *

_**I've heard so much about you **_

I'm amazed, for I'm only an actress (a soldier)  
Nothing to shout about (One of the thousands)  
Only a girl on the air (Defending the country he loves)

Michiru smirked and looked at Haruka, who was standing with her arms beside her, and she was slightly posed, so her head was turned to the side, looking at Michiru through the corner of her eye.

_But when you act, the things you do affect us all_

_But when you act, you take us away from the squalor of the real world  
Are you here on your own?_

The music was gentle and enticing as Michiru began to scanter over to Haruka slowly, in time with the sensual, slow melody, with her leg flicking gently over her other leg just as she approached behind Haruka, she paused for a moment and put her finger beneath her chin and pretended to think.

_Yes, oh yes_

_So am I, what a fortunate coincidence  
Maybe you're my reward for my efforts here tonight_

She grinned then she gently tapped Haruka on the shoulder. As the blonde turned around, she rose an eyebrow, in mock surprise and smirked when she saw Michiru had turned her head away, feigning innocence. Michiru turned away then spun backwards only to land directly in front of Haruka, the young violinist had her hands on Haruka' shoulders; the blonde grinned at Michiru and held her hand out, not once breaking eye contact with Michiru – Haruka was intent on keeping her gaze with the young beauty tonight. Michiru looked at Haruka's calloused yet soft hand smiled gently, she took it, her fingers stretched out before she intertwined them with the tomboy's.

_It seems crazy but you must believe  
There's nothing calculated, nothing planned  
Please forgive me if I seem naive  
I would never want to force your hand  
But please understand, I'd be good for you_

Michiru kept her hands in contact with the blonde's and she slowly let her foot stretch out behind her, all the while her body was supported by the strong racer in front of her. They still kept eye contact, and Michiru came to Haruka's waist height and she took a deep breath, inhaling all of Haruka's intoxicating scent as she once did before whe they danced. Haruka smirked and she pulled on Michiru's hands, smoothly bringing Michiru up to her level and close, Michiru lifted her leg so that it was raised to Haruka's waist, forcing the blonde to take the tempting limb in her hands and feel the delicate, smooth ad fine porcelain skin she now could feel in her own rough hands. Haruka shivered at the intimate touch, not yet noticing that Michiru's face was a mere few centimetres from her own, the young racer finally became aware when the sweet smell of Michiru's breath invaded her nose and caused Haruka to snap her attention to Michiru's face, where blue met green in a fierce battle of emotions.

I don't always rush in like this  
Twenty seconds after saying hello  
Telling strangers I'm too good to miss  
If I'm wrong I hope you'll tell me so  
But you really should know, I'd be good for you  
I'd be surprisingly good for you

Haruka's hand reached for Michiru's, so the younger girl had no choice but to let her leg slowly drop down back to its position on the floor, her posture immediately straightened and once again she found her face almost cheek to cheek with Haruka. They sidestepped and then Haruka took a toe lead forward, gently, allowing Michiru time to comply properly. Haruka kept a shoulders-apart stance after a few more steps forward and faced Michiru who decided to do a crossover step back then forward, bringing her back to her original position, all the while still staring into an intense teal gaze. Haruka simply stepped from left to right, allowing Michiru her freedom to do all the steps she had yearned to show Haruka. When Haruka moved Michiru's shoulder slightly right, the younger girl simply let her left foot flick behind then in front of her and then back into its original position. Haruka had to hide back another smile; Michiru was clearly dancing better than she ever had before. The Argentine Tango is hard to dance in general but to a slower paced song? It takes a keen ear, which Michiru clearly had, and skill, which she also possessed. Haruka was shocked but convinced that only she could bring out this side of Michiru on the dance-floor... but was it only the dance-floor? Haruka shrugged this thought of as she flicked her foot as the same time she saw Michiru prepare to do it, Haruka pushed themselves apart, no longer cheek to cheek, so as they were side by side, hands still linked, the tomboy brought them both into a spin, fast at first, but slow as they faced each other again. Haruka had to take a deep breath, being this close to Michiru was heaven and hell all over again for her.

_  
I won't go on if I'm boring you  
But do you understand my point of view?  
Do you like what you hear, what you see  
And would you be, good for me too?_

Haruka spun her once more, only to be shocked when Michiru stopped halfway, took a half step back, her back pressed up against the blonde's chest. Haruka took in a breath and reflexively held Michiru's hand which Michiru then led Haruka's hands down to her waist. The violinist smiled, but the racer couldn't see; with a smooth movement of her right knee, Michiru bent slightly, letting her left leg travel in between the blonde's and stretch out behind them both. Haruka's breath caught in her throat at the sensation of Michiru's leg, but she managed to compose herself as Michiru brought herself back up to her standing height.

I'm not talking of a hurried night  
A frantic tumble then a shy goodbye  
Creeping home before it gets too light  
That's not the reason that I caught your eye  
Which has to imply, I'd be good for you  
I'd be surprisingly good for you

Haruka grabbed Michiru around her waist again, and stepped back on her right leg and putting her left leg slightly forward for balance, she lifted Michiru up, allowing her to slightly jump up and flick both of her legs in succession in the air. Michiru was turned around as she landed and looked directly into Haruka's eyes again. Both couldn't help but notice the other smiling. Michiru turned away, to do some free steps, and managed to flick one leg perfectly over the other but she was stopped by a strong, familiar hand on her shoulder; she was turned around to face the blonde again. Michiru smiled as Haruka took her hand again and smiled at her. Michiru sandwiched Haruka's foot between her own and watched as her partner then stepped back, Michiru put her foot back and balanced on a half bent left leg. Haruka took Michiru's hands and stepped gracefully around the violinist, causing Michiru to spin on the spot. As Haruka came to her original spot, she snapped Michiru up back into her arms and stood once again with Michiru cheek to cheek.

_Please go on, you enthral me  
I can understand you perfectly  
And I like what I hear, what I see, and knowing me  
I would be good for you too_

Haruka stepped forward slightly then suddenly back, causing Michiru to step forward too, leaning completely on the blonde, who took advantage and lifted the lithe girl up in one movement, with the tomboy's arm firmly around her waist. Michiru kept firm to the girl, completely aware that her chest was almost in the tomboy's face, but Haruka seemed to have not noticed and only had an interest in Michiru's face, still keeping her eyes locked with that of the other girl. The young racer simply turned in four swift steps, taking Michiru with her in each spin, Michiru's left leg straight down while her right was once again wrapped around Haruka's waist in a familiar position. Haruka smiled and let her legs widen, causing both of Michiru's to disperse from the blonde's body, Haruka half-bowed, with Michiru slowly falling to the ground but yet still in the tomboy's strong hold. Haruka's hair began to mat slightly against the back of her neck.

_I'm not talking of a hurried night  
A frantic tumble then a shy goodbye  
Creeping home before it gets too light  
_

Haruka rose from her half-bowing position and linked her link slightly with Michiru's, who tried to flick it but found it taken back down gracefully by Haruka who raised her and Michiru's intertwined hand to just above head height, and brought their faces so close together again, but Michiru this time pulled away from the blonde, as Haruka approached, Michiru turned away then flicked her leg between the blonde's and returned to face an impressed Haruka. Haruka stepped forward, causing Michiru to keep her leg still, but the violinist soon stepped over the blonde's again, Haruka stepped backwards and without hesitation, Michiru raised her leg so it teasingly rubbed against Haruka's from her ankle to mid-thigh then back down, in one slow, divine movement. The blonde watched in intrigue as Michiru half stepped backwards, then forwards and put her leg in between the blonde's again, not failing a single flick, nor a single half turn in all her movements. Haruka initiated some long strides, which Michiru followed, and as Michiru went to take another step, Haruka lifted her leg to her waist, causing Michiru to spin halfway on the spot and meet Haruka's leg with her own full flick. Both feet returned to the floor as did a satisfied smirk on the blonde's lips. Before Haruka could move again, the younger girl stepped in front, facing away and put her left leg behind her, wrapped around Haruka's waist and trailing down ever so slightly. Haruka simply stepped around slowly, as though exhibiting the fine dance for all the world to see. Both girls could feel their heartbeats in their ears. Never before had they danced so intimately in public, this was even worse than the samba, it was so slow, so tantalizing, the temptation to forget the song and give in to passion and desire was all too much.

_That's not the reason that I caught your eye  
Which has to imply, I'd be good for you  
I'd be surprisingly good for you_

Haruka managed to get a hold of herself; she spun a little faster, meaning Michiru had to lift her other foot and rely on Haruka to support her weight for another delicious spin. Haruka spun again, and again, but then slowed on the fourth, only one hand was needed to support Michiru, both her legs were firmly in place over her slightly bent out knee, so her legs could rest mainly on her thigh. Haruka could feel her skin tingle and her temperature rise once more as she felt the fine, smooth skin of the goddess she knew as Michiru wrap around her neck. Haruka closed her eyes as the song came to the end she still had one hand beside her, an arm doing absolutely nothing. So without really thinking, she placed it to Michiru's cheek and cupped her beautiful face in her own hands. Eyes were locked onto each other, and Haruka had the overwhelming desire to kiss her. But as the song ended and clapping and loud applause began, Haruka was brought crashing back to reality. Michiru's lips were lingering centimetres from hers, an her eyes were closed. Haruka hung her head; she wanted to kiss her but not in front of everybody like some sort of show. Their first kiss should be in private, with all the intimacy they wanted to show, not in front of everybody like some pose in a dance. Haruka could feel the tears of regret burn in her eyes. Slowly she let go of Michiru, who then opened her eyes; deep blue eyes filled with sadness... and slight disappointment. Haruka looked away in shame, only to be greeted with overzealous congratulations and applause.

"Wow. I mean, what else can I say? That was amazing, Haruka... Michiru I've never seen a dance performed so... so believably!" Elza shrieked across the dance-floor as she made her way over to the two silent teenagers. Haruka frowned and Michiru still looked at her, this time her eyes begging for answers, a response, anything!

Haruka looked up and saw that everyone was eagerly making their way to the two, so she quickly grabbed Michiru's hand, causing the violinist to look up into green eyes with surprise,

"I need to talk to you. Now." Michiru didn't protest as she felt Haruka lead her swiftly, half-running from the dace-floor to the doors in which she had arrived. She watched in intrigue as Haruka desperately opened the doors then she closed them behind her. She panted for a moment as she leant against the doors, leaving Michiru to only fidget behind her. After a few moments, Haruka turned around to the other girl, who had not yet protested and was patiently waiting. Michiru looked at Haruka; she seemed to be struggling to say something, so ever so cautiously she stepped over to her placed a tentative hand on her shoulder.

"Haruka, are you okay?" The blonde looked up to Michiru, her eyes wide and open, showing every single emotion. It almost looked as though she was going to cry. The cold night air bit at Michiru's skin but at the same time cooled it down from the intense heat it had just experienced moments ago. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Haruka cleared her throat, she took Michiru's hand from her shoulder and held it, with a gentle firmness that the younger girl loved.

"Michiru, I'm in love with you."

* * *

**A/N 2 – Okay I'm a bitch for leaving it there I know, BUT 20 pages is long enough for this chapter. For the Argentine Tango sequence, I HIGHLY recommend watching the Alesha Dixon Argentine Tango – was utterly beautiful and heavily inspired me to write this ENTIRE FIC. Anyhoo, I don't own the song used – Andrew Lloyd Webber does – It's called I'd Be Surprisingly Good For you. Italics were Mina, Italics and underlined were Yaten and bold and italics were them both singing – now R&R! Till next time! Ciao!**


	11. Please, Don't Say That

* * *

**A/N – This chapter was very hard for me to write but I hope that you will apprereciate it and enjoy it. Thank you all for your great reviews once again! Anyway, on with the story!**

* * *

**CHAPTER 11 – PLEASE, DON'T SAY THAT**

"What?" Michiru almost stumbled over at the same time those six words left the blonde's mouth. Haruka kept her distance from Michiru, seeing as how the shorter girl was stepping back in either shock or fear and the blonde didn't want to make matters any worse. The young racer sighed and looked down at her hands.

"I didn't mean to just say it like that. It sort of just came out." Haruka looked up, desperate for any reaction from Michiru. Instead she was greeted by a wall of silence. To Haruka, it seemed as though the other girl couldn't even bring herself to look in her general direction. After a few seconds Michiru took a few steps and sat on a nearby wall that came to waist height. After debating with herself for a few moments, Haruka took a tentative step towards the younger girl.

"Michiru?" After a few seconds, Michiru finally made eye contact with Haruka. Her eyes watered slightly with salty tears that threatened to fall from her blue orbs. The blonde took another step closer and broke the silence again;

"Just because it came out like that doesn't mean I didn't mean it," She slowly reached for Michiru's hand, and took it gently in her own. "I do mean it. I really do. Every single word." Haruka leant forward slightly to kiss the smooth hand but as her lips were about to brush the fine skin, the hand was pulled away by its owner. Michiru stood up, and began pacing back and forth in front of the blonde

"You say you're in love with me... Are you sure?" The blonde said nothing but nodded her head in reply. A small smile came across Michiru's features, but soon they were dissolved. Michiru stopped pacing and looked at Haruka, her deep eyes exploring startling green ones.

"When I first met you, I thought you were a boy." Haruka laughed gently.

"I remember, I thought you might have died of shock when you found out. Haha, but you didn't react that badly... in comparison to when Mina and Usagi found out. Man, I thought they were going to swallow their ice cream spoons." Haruka continued to laugh and Michiru's features softened once again.

"That sounds like those two... But Haruka, I think we need to talk. Seriously." Haruka's ears perked up. That sounded bad… she wondered if she should be worried? Michiru smiled reassuringly but the blonde's stomach suddenly lurched forward. This time Michiru took the silence as her cue to carry on speaking.

"At first I thought you were so arrogant. You were cocky and I thought you had zero respect for women. I thought you had zero respect for me, and then I found out about Keiko and the competitions... and I get that you were hurt and you'd rather not compete anymore, but I had really hoped that I would get to partner with you. And I thought you didn't want to dance with me... but then that samba! Oh God that samba!" Michiru's eyes glazed over for a moment as she remembered the first time that Haruka's hands ever touched her, and the first time that Michiru was sure that the blonde had some interest in her. Michiru's eyes returned to Haruka. The blonde had a goofy grin – she was thinking about the dance too.

"But to be honest Haruka, I thought at the time you only liked me for no other reason than you thought I was pretty. I didn't think you would actually like the real me. Everyone who meets me only ever thinks I'm uptight and rude and-" Michiru was silenced by the blonde's finger placing itself on her lips.

"No, Michiru, I thought you were cold at first, but after we spent some time together, I could tell that you were just like me. Putting up a front so others won't see the real you. But I saw a glimpse, and I loved everything I saw… everything I felt. I love you for who you are, Michiru, not for any other reason than that." Haruka smiled gently and Michiru fought back some tears. She couldn't cry, not yet… she had to get everything out of her system. Haruka inched forward but Michiru turned her head away. At first the blonde was hurt but when Michiru cleared her throat, Haruka was just more concerned because Michiru seemed so down.

"Haruka... I'm so glad you feel that way about me. But I need to tell you something, and I need to ask you something." Haruka nodded and waited patiently. Michiru took the taller girl's hand in her own and felt its warmth… its roughness caused by years of hard work on cars and outdoor training in the wind and rain. Michiru felt Haruka instinctively intertwine their fingers. The violinist looked up only to see Haruka smiling but looking anxious. She seemed nervous, but she was being patient.

"I really wanted to kiss you the other day. Ever since I had found out you were a girl, you were all that was really on my mind. And I was so desperate to just be in your arms again after we first danced together, and I was sure you wanted that too... and up until yesterday I was sure my feelings for you were a strong liking... fuelled by lust. Bu now, I'm convinced that's not the case at all." Haruka looked up at Michiru. The blonde was definitely worried. Was this all just a play from the other girl? Only time could tell. "I want to be with you. I do, and I had hope that you'll always feel that way for me, Haruka. Have you ever travelled around the world before? For work? It's not as fun as it seems you know, being moved from one place to the next… constant travelling, constant practicing, barely any time for yourself. Heh, it's funny when I think of it now, but when you travel solo, you're living your life for everyone but you. That's why my parents brought me here, so I could have two normal years of high school and life before I have to go on tour again. When you're on tour, you have no time for yourself, let alone love, Haruka. And I want to have time for you. I want to spend every moment with you. But I need to know, do you want to spend every moment with me?"

The tomboy stood up and gently caressed the smaller girl's cheek. Gently, Haruka felt the warmth of Michiru's skin, and for a second the racer had to take a breath and let all the emotions wash over her before she could speak.

"Of course I want to spend every moment with you, Michiru. And I know that touring isn't as fun as it seems. It's all work and no play that's for sure, but Michiru, if you're asking me what I think you're asking me then you should know how unfair that is. And if you are asking me to choose between you and the F1, then maybe I should ask you in two years to choose between your violin and me. What would your answer be then?"

Michiru looked up into searching teal eyes, and she turned away. She knew she would choose her violin, but begrudgingly, if she was faced with the choice. She couldn't really blame Haruka for chasing her dream, but a part of Michiru deeply hoped that Haruka would choose her, so that they could experience their new feelings together. Michiru turned away from Haruka and the aqua-haired girl looked down at her feet.

"Haruka, I don't know why I tried so hard. Maybe I should have left it until you came back I suppose… but maybe you would have found someone knew in one of the countries you visited... or maybe you would have come back and forgotten all about me. But I guess I thought if I peaked your interest then maybe I would have kept your interest." Michiru sighed, but then a pair of familiar strong hands rested on her shoulders.

"I wouldn't forget about you. I can't. The feelings I have for you, they're not just some schoolgirl infatuation. What I feel for you is deeper than anything I have ever felt for another. I thought I had been in love before, but I clearly didn't know what love really was... not until I met you."

Michiru's eyes shimmered as she could feel Haruka's breath on the back of her neck, and hear the sincerity with every syllable uttered from her mouth. Haruka took her hands away from Michiru's shoulder and kept them by her side;

"Michiru, I am going away to the F1 soon. I have worked so hard for this. I really have and I think I've earned the right to at least one year in the top division. If... if you truly feel the way you say you do about me, then can I ask one thing of you? Please?"

* * *

"What are they saying? I can't hear a word!" Leon complained with his ear pressed against the back door. Yumi shook her head at her husband's antics, he was intent on finding out what the 'two lovebirds' were up to outside.

"Leon, darling, leave them alone. Did you not learn anything from yesterday?" He instantly sweat-dropped, and grinned.

"Of course, I learned something… I learned that I should listen for you sneaking up the stairs!" Yumi simply rose an eyebrow at him, and he kissed her cheek affectionately. "I'm kidding! Look, I just wanna know what was so important that those two had to rush outside. Plus, if they kiss, it should be monitored – kissing leads to allsorts don't ya know?" He winked at his wife who rolled her eyes. Yumi knew right now it was a lost cause to get Leon to leave the two alone. In his mind, he was somehow helping them. As long as he didn't make matters worse, she was fine leaving him to his own devices – as long as he didn't embarrass her. Of course, Leon was not alone in his quest to spy on them – Usagi and Minako were by his side, intent on using two tumblers to listen through the wall. Ami couldn't help but point out that the door was nearly a foot thick and the tumblers were in fact plastic. After watching the three of them rush about by the door and trying to look through the windows without being caught, Hachi could no longer contain his laughter. Leon looked over to him and eyed him suspiciously,

"Are you laughing at me, Hachi?" More chuckling followed Leon's question, which earned Hachi a glare from a pair of green eyes he knew all too well.

"Leon, if you're so desperate to spy on Haru-chan, why don't you go more modern? I mean... there is CCTV out there and the security booth is only backstage." As soon as Hachi finished his sentence a blur of auburn and blonde whizzed by him and somehow rushed to the back of the stage in the blink of an eye. Hachi soon joined Leon, Usagi and Minako backstage and they were all looking down at the CCTV images, showing Haruka looking at Michiru with sadness in her eyes. The audio level was down and suddenly all four felt guilty for spying because they could see clearly this was not a happy conversation… but even through their guilt, Leon turned up the volume. He had to know why they weren't going to be together. They seemed so perfect for each other now. So with nothing but interest, the four began to watch and were soon joined by everyone else, intent on knowing what the hell was going on with the two drama-riddled teens outside the club.

* * *

"You want me to wait? With no guarantee of anything? Haruka, that's so unfair!" Michiru voice was clear and crisp in the cold night air. The blonde kept her eyes locked with the girl in front of her,

"It's as unfair as asking me to give up my F1 dream, isn't it? All I'm asking from you is for you to wait for me to come back, then we'd have all the time in the world to pursue our feelings and emotions." Michiru half shook her head, and half laughed,

"One day away from you would kill me. How do you expect me to survive a whole year?!" Haruka stayed silent for a moment before speaking again,

"It will be just as hard for me Michiru, but if I know that you're just waiting for me every day… then I can have the hope that an entire year will pass in the blink of an eye… if I can spend the rest of my life with you." It was only in this instance that Haruka realised the small tear that had cascaded down her cheek. She moved it away in one rough movement.

"Please, Michiru?" The aqua-haired girl stopped and looked up to the sky, and she thought deep and hard. She thought about how lonely her life had been. Her parents constantly travelled for work and so Michiru immersed herself in her arts, and that now evolved into work. And it took over her life. It all did until Michiru met Karin and she felt that she could let herself go and that backfired. Could Michiru really leave herself vulnerable for one whole year just for Haruka? What if Haruka went and found someone else and fell out of love with her; regardless of the blonde's sweet words, it could happen. Michiru would rather wait, but without promising anything to anyone. If she did and it all went south, then she would have to rebuild again.

While Michiru was deep in thought, Haruka was only confused; Michiru spent all her time yesterday getting the blonde's attention, and dying for a kiss and now it was like Michiru was avoiding her. The tomboy was certain she had made it clear that it was more than a physical attraction, so she thought it couldn't be that. Was there another reason? Was there another girl? No, Michiru would never do that, she'd have known anyway if there was another girl. There was no reason why they couldn't be together when the blonde got back. No reason except Michiru's personal reason. Haruka had to know.

"What is it, Michiru? Tell me… it's killing me not knowing! Why can't you just wait for me?" The silence was all that greeted the blonde again. Inside Michiru was fighting with herself; if she told Haruka about Karin she would more than understand because of Keiko right? Michiru decided she had to tell her. So with a deep breath and an even deeper resolve Michiru turned to the blonde standing behind her,

"Haruka, I'm just scared. The last girl I loved, she hurt me badly, and I've only just recovered and I don't want to fall back into the state I was before. I want to tell you about her."

* * *

Back in the security booth, everyone was hanging onto every word that they anticipated Michiru would say and as she was about to confess everything, Minako reached over and turned the audio off. A collective 'HEY' was heard, and Usagi shot Minako a look that was mainly puppy dog eyes and on the verge of crying. Instantly, Mina turned away,

"No, Usagi, don't give me those eyes!" Leon was still in shock at the audio being turned off, and Mina decided to continue to speak. "No, now you all listen to me; I spoke to Michiru earlier and she confided in me, about what she's telling Haru-chan now, and I am sure that it's a hundred percent no-one else's business. So don't even try and touch that dial. The first one to do so, dies… including you Rei." Minako shot her lover a look as the raven-haired girl's hand sneakily approached the volume control button. Rei instantly threw her hand back, and everyone turned to the monitor, seeing the two girls on-screen. Michiru looked to be holding back some tears, and Haruka looked confused but keept her distance. After a few moments, Haruka's eyes widened and she embraced Michiru from behind.

* * *

"Haruka, please, I didn't tell you this for your pity. It was just important that you knew about Karin."

"I'm not holding you because I feel sorry for you, but because I want to hold you. Michiru, can't you understand why I do the things I do?" The aqua haired girl nodded,

"Because you're in love with me." Michiru looked down at her watch on her wrist. "It's late, I should get going, Haruka. Good luck tomorrow." The blonde stood in disbelief, and managed to snap out of her trance and grab the younger girl's wrist in time.

"Wait, what? That's it? You tell me you love me… that you want me too, but that you can't wait for me? If you really feel the way you say you do about me, then everything you've done, the flirting, yesterday, none of it all makes sense, dammit!" Haruka's voice was rising beyond her control, and Michiru stayed still,

"It does all make sense. I love you dammit! That's why I did all that, to get your attention and to show you... but today, it really hit me as I told you before. You're actually leaving, it's all real. I had this stupid idea in my head that you might stay. I thought you might not go… that you'd stay with all your family and friends, but you're not! You're choosing to leave everyone! I am not making any promises Haruka, not to you, not now."

"Please, don't say that Michiru... please. What if we go all year and come back and start again? Then there was no loss, but we'd have promised it to each other… it would be more special."

"And what if you go and find someone else? It could happen, Ruka." Haruka shook her head,

"I don't want anyone else but you, Michi." Michiru smiled sadly,

"I really do have to go. Tomorrow's a big day Haruka. Take care and good luck." Michiru stepped up on her tiptoes and kissed the taller girl on the cheek before heading back inside to get a ride.

* * *

Everyone quickly moved from backstage as soon as they saw Michiru heading back into the club. As she entered, she approached the table, keeping her head down. She did not want anyone to see the tears escaping her eyes. She reached the table and picked up her bag while searching around the room with her eyes.

"Can I get a ride home, please… Mina?" Minako instantly nods in the silence and approaches the table herself, gathering her own things and gesturing for Rei to follow them. The room is still entirely quiet. Even the band had stopped playing at Hachi's command. As soon as Minako and Rei collected their belongings the door opened, revealing Haruka looking a little disheveled and as though she has been fighting back tears. She stood back, leaving the door open, and without another word Michiru began to walk past her. Haruka held back a surge of tears and managed to clear her throat, catching the younger girl's attention. Green eyes met blue in that instant, before Haruka closed her eyes and turned her head away.

"Good luck tomorrow Michiru-san." Michiru didn't like the suffix on her name again but she ignored it… she had brought this on herself. She really hoped that in one year Haruka would stay true to her word and love no other. Michiru knew she wouldn't, but to bury the pain of not having the blonde, she'd have to ignore the feelings she had for her. Michiru simply nodded slowly.

"Good luck to you too, Haruka-san." Without a final lingering look or second glance back, Michiru left the club and Haruka. Minako and Rei stopped by the door to see their friend, looking on in the direction Michiru just walked out of.

"Haru-chan, are you okay?" Haruka looked up into Rei's eyes and smiled sadly.

"No, Rei, I'm not fine." The tomboy looked around the room, aware of every single pair of eyes on her. Even Seiya was looking at her with sadness in his eyes; the last thing on this planet she needed was Seiya's pity. She looked away and instantly her eyes rested on her family; Hotaru, Setsuna, Yumi, Leon and Hachi all looking at her, at a loss for words. Haruka sighed… it was clear tonight was over.

"Thanks for coming everyone... but I think I'm gonna call it a night." Rei and Minako nodded and silently walked out of the door. After a few more minutes, everyone had left, but not of course before leaving Haruka with a look of empathy and sadness. Hachi held her a little tighter and whispered some words in his Latin tongue but Haruka couldn't make it out really. She knew it had something to do with not worrying and toughing it out. Yeah, that was easier said than done.

* * *

After Leon had started the car and they all sat in silence for about ten minutes. Haruka decided to look out of the window and think about everything. She didn't notice Leon glancing at her at every opportunity he got through his rearview mirror, and she didn't notice Setsuna ask if she was okay. What did break Haruka from her trance was when Hotaru unbuckled her seatbelt just as Leon pulled into the drive and turned off the engine. She leaned over to Haruka and held her tight in a sweet embrace. Haruka held her little hime-chan in her arms and she felt her body relax. She felt the purity in Hotaru affect her, it made her understand that Hotaru just cared for her, and Haruka let herself go. All the tears she had been holding in were released, and Hotaru held her 'papa' determined to be strong and to be there for her.

"Haruka-papa, don't worry. You're strong, you'll be fine. Let's get you to bed, and then we can talk about it, okay?" It was moments like this that Yumi and Leon were pleased they had raised a fine girl like Hotaru, who could be wise beyond her years. Haruka nodded in between sobs, and Leon helped his daughter of the car.

Leon wasn't angry at seeing Haruka like this, not like how he was when Keiko broke her heart. No, Leon couldn't be angry with Michiru. He knew that she too had her heart broken tonight, but for reasons only Haruka and Michiru knew.

Once Haruka was in her room, Leon and Yumi left Sesuna and Hotaru to spend the night with her, to talk to her… to calm her, to do anything they could to make her better. Leon stood in the doorway to his bedroom, with Yumi on the bed preparing for bed. Leon could only frown in sadness, and Yumi patted the side of the bed, and he slowly walked over and sat on the edge. Yumi instantly began rubbing his shoulders.

"Don't stress yourself, Leon. Haruka is a big girl and she will be fine. Relax for now and worry another day, love." Leon shook his head and he sighed deeply,

"How can I relax when my baby is next door crying?" Yumi stopped rubbing his shoulders and placed her head on them. He turned to her and kissed her forehead lovingly,

"Leon, she is my baby too... and I know you're protective of her but she can handle this one. It's not over until it's over, you know that. Now, let's go to bed and prepare ourselves for Haruka's big day tomorrow." Leon nodded. He knew that regardless of how Haruka was feeling, by tomorrow morning, she would put her fake smile on,… win her race… win her sponsors over, and spend hours at a boring banquet event celebrating Japan's finest talent and then... then she will come home and slum on her bed and speak to no-one until she leaves a few days later. Leon got changed for bed silently, as Yumi got the light and pulled the sheets back for him. Yumi fell asleep in her husband's arms while Leon kept his eyes on the ceiling, unable to sleep.

Down the hall, Hotaru and Setsuna left the room of a completely exhausted and sleeping Haruka. They both looked downcast, mimicking the blondes current state. Setsuna closed Haruka's door behind her and she looked down at Hotaru,

"What do you think she'll do, hime-chan?" Hotaru smiled sadly,

"Haruka will pick the racing... and Michiru. You know her… she has to have everything she sets her heart on." The two girls shared a sad laugh. Then both stared at the door of the blonde tomboy. Setsuna sighed heavily before she spoke two simple words.

"Poor Haruka."

**A/N 2 - So that's it for today. Sorry for the delay between chapters but as some of you know it is much harder to write this than to read it. Once again, I hope you all appreciated this and please review if you've made it this far - it gives me good feedback for when I inevitably will go back and change this story when I am annoyed with it.**

**Oh and super special love goes out to Reusch17 for being a smexx incarnate and being my wicked proof-reader - without her this would not have made a single bit of sense :D**

**till next time ciao!**


	12. The Last Person I Expected To See

**A/N - Okay so this is another long chapter, that I did seriously consider cutting in half but then it would seem like a really tedious chapter, so it's a long one. So there :P. I'm sorry for the delay between chapter 11 and this one but I was overworked (and a little writers block too) but I'm halfway through Chapter 13 so yay! **

**Also I'd like to thank everyone for their excellent reviews, you all really encouraged me :D So here it is. Chapter 12. Enjoy!**

CHAPTER 12 – THE LAST PERSON I EXPECTED TO SEE

"Are you nervous, Tenoh-san?" The blonde in the fire-suit shook her head slowly as she sat in her new and improved Honda 3 liter F1 car. The mechanic who had previously spoken to her smiled reassuringly while Haruka just grabbed her helmet from his hands. He looked around the crowd. It was small because this was invite only. The spectators were mainly sponsors and the racers families; in the section where Tenoh's family should be, he noted, it was completely empty.

"Tenoh-san, is your family here yet? Do you want me to give word to the security guards in case they arrive late?" Haruka was silent for a moment or two, and the mechanic kept his eyes on her. He thought this racer was a little arrogant – not good enough to talk to him eh?

"No, thank you. That won't be necessary. They aren't coming."

* * *

"_Haru-chan. Are you sure you don't want us there? I'd love to see you race." Yumi looked at her daughter with such tenderness that it caused the blonde to turn away. Haruka couldn't bear to look at her mother, not now. She just wanted to be left alone. Haruka looked over at her clock, it was 7am._

"_Hai, I'm sure okaa-san. I just want to get today over and done with. It's a tiring journey anyway and I know you wouldn't make it back in time for judging the Comps." Yumi kept her gaze on her daughter. Eventually Haruka turned around, facing her mother. "Besides, you'll have plenty more chances to watch me race over the next twelve months." Haruka flashed her charming smile. Her mother smiled gently. Yumi brought the robe closer to her cold body and she watched as Haruka checked her appearance one last time in the mirror. Yumi looked over to the suit-carrier she had laid on her bed; her tuxedo for the banquet event just after the race. A 3pm late lunch that Haruka did not want to goto for sure, but if she wanted to sweeten the deal on her future, she had no choice. Yumi walked over to Haruka and hugged her tightly,_

"_I know you don't need it... but good luck, darling. I know you'll do just fine." Haruka smiled into her mother's hug._

"_Thanks, mum. Tell dad I'm sorry, but I just couldn't face him today." Yumi nodded and she held on for one last lingering moment to her child. When she eventually let go, she smiled broadly at Haruka._

"_I'll see you later tonight right?" Haruka shrugged,_

"_More like tomorrow morning, but yeah, sometime horribly late in the morning, no doubt... Mum, I really got to go. I love you." Haruka hugged her mother one last time before grabbing her suit from the bed and heading out the door. A few moments later the front door slammed shut and a short while after that the distinct sound of Haruka's convertible revving up could be heard then slowly fading away. _

* * *

The mechanic was empathetic; the blonde was alone today and on one of the biggest days of her life. Haruka smiled politely at him and decided to go on for her practice lap. She only had thirty minutes until the faux-Prix begun for all the aspiring junior racers and she just wanted to race and get that ecstatic feeling she always got when she raced – she forgot about everything and right now she needed that more than anything. She had to forget everything. She had to get on with her life. She had spent most of last night thinking about her decision; had she been selfish? She had spent countless years building up to this moment… this point in her life. She only ever wanted to be in the F1 and now she had that opportunity thrown in her face. Should she really have thrown that all away for Michiru? Minutes passed in which Haruka only thought about Michiru. How she was certain Michiru would wait for her… how Michiru would know that she was serious about her. A happy ending for her, for Michiru, for everyone. But those happy endings are only in those sappy romance movies, and if there was one thing Haruka was sure of, it was that her life was nothing like a sappy romance movie.

The only thing that broke the blonde from her deep thoughts was the screaming in her ear from her team,

"Tenoh! Are you paying attention? GO! GO!" Haruka snapped her head back up to the track. She was still in the starting grid… on her own. Every other car had vanished from sight. 'Kuso!', how long had she been there thinking? Without another second's thought, Haruka snapped the car into action, zooming down the racetrack, and after a few minutes' silence in her earpiece, the sound of her team manager laughing rang in her ears,

"That's better Tenoh! Man, you had us scared back there!" The manager continued to talk, but Haruka didn't hear a single word he was saying. She was too busy concentrating on the feeling she had. The energy she could feel rushing through her body, rushing through her veins, the only thing she saw was the blur of the scenery around her as she whizzed past it. She didn't even take a glance at the speedometer. All she did was look at every bend ahead of her. She approached the Casio Triangle turn and took it all with ease while some of her competitors were reduced to having to slow down drastically and some even had to call it a day right there. They weren't made of the right stuff for F1 Haruka thought. 'I am though. I've earned the right to be here.' Haruka was brought out of her thoughts as she came to the 'Spoon' bend. She glided easily through it. She became aware not because the famous 13th bend was dangerous but because it put you into a false sense of security; soon the 'Gyaku bank' bends would be coming up. The most difficult S bends known to F1. So now, there was no time to be moping or thinking of things related to a certain girl. That girl was off-limits as were any thoughts related to her. So for Haruka she had to remember she couldn't think of how Michiru was probably sitting back in Tokyo, preparing for the day… having a shower… pampering her perfect porcelain skin, and looking every inch the elegant lady she truly was. 'Oh crap, I can't stop thinking about her'. The blonde literally shook her head to get rid of these thoughts… The thoughts of Michiru's beaming face as she enters the room where the Winter Comps is being held. The blonde laughed bitterly at herself. 'How will I know what her face looks like when I won't be there? Fuck it.' The blonde had to get on with today, so without a second thought her foot forced the accelerator deeper into the base of the car.

* * *

Miles away from Mie, there was an aqua-haired girl sitting in her bedroom, staring down at a dress on her bed. The dress was the same one Minako had treated with such delicacy just the day before. It was the same dress Michiru had never had a chance to wear before, but tonight she had the chance to wear it. She had the chance to put that dress on and live a dream she had hoped for before… the chance to dance and be treated like a princess by the one in her arms. But tonight, she would not be held by the one who mattered. But nonetheless, she had to remember that she brought this on. She told Haruka to forget about her for the next year.

Yesterday Michiru had convinced herself she had done the right thing. She had told herself how it was clear Haruka would not stay for her. But who was she to make the blonde choose between her dreams and Michiru? The tomboy looked heartbroken when she had left her, the violinist was sure of that, but for now it was for the best. The heartache they would both feel could be overwhelming, especially if they let their relationship escalate. Michiru sighed, and she looked over to her bed again, then up to her clock. It was 12:30pm. She had four and a half hours to get ready and get to the hall for the Winter Comps. Before another thought could enter her mind, there was a ringing reverberating in her room, and it took the young girl a few moments before she realised it was the sound of her cordless phone. Acting on autopilot, she picked it up and answered as formally as she could.

"Kaioh residence." Michiru stayed silent for a moment as the line seemed to be dead. She was about to repeat herself when she heard a familiar voice speak to her.

"Michi-chan, darling! Your father and I will be home later today. We managed to seal the deal in Osaka and Kyoto yesterday and the day before and we'll be home in time for Christmas."

"Okaa-san? Tonight? What?" Okay, this was all too much drama for Michiru. She could not handle tonight for sure.

"Michiru-chan, isn't your little dancing competition tonight? Where is it? We'll make it for around 6:30, that's when it starts right?" Michiru could only find herself confirming her parents' questions regarding the dance. After a few moments of idle chitchat regarding the dance, her choices and the dress, her mother became silent, realising that whenever that dress was brought up, Michiru suddenly became morose and silent. Her mother decided to change the subject.

"So, how are you finding Mugen, Michi? Made many friends?" Michiru's mind instantly drew her to think of a certain tomboyish blonde. She shook her head of that thought,

"The school's just fine mum. I've made some good friends." In her head, Michiru was hoping her mother would not ask the inevitable follow-up question... but there was a reason it was known as 'inevitable'. There was no hope in hell that her mother would not ask.

"Have you met anyone, Michi-chan? Anyone special?" At that instant, the aqua-haired teen couldn't help but laugh out loud. A cruel, bitter laugh is all that escaped her lips though.

"Haha, yeah mum, I found someone real special..." Michiru took a deep breath inwards. Is this really something she wanted to talk about right now? Hell no, "But it didn't work out mum, so I'd rather not talk about it, okay?" A deafening silence at the other end of the phone encompassed Michiru's ear. She sighed deeply and then her mother cleared her throat,

"Okay, Michi... well, we had better go, our train is leaving just after our lunch. We'll see you tonight. Take care, baby." Michiru said nothing back but instead she hung up. She looked around the room and once again on the dress in front of her.

"I had better start getting ready." She spoke to no-one but herself, but it had become a habit; it's one way to remind her of everything she has to do. She heads into the bathroom and begins to draw herself a bath, and while she waits for the tub to fill, she decides to turn the TV set in her room on. For some reason it's already on Setanta and before she can get a chance to turn it over, the voice from the channel speaks out,

"My God! This is the most exciting F2 race we've seen in some time. Haruka Tenoh has managed to blow away Raikonnen's lap record here at Suzuka. Only nineteen laps left. My God, this is a no-brainer! If Tenoh doesn't get the F1 opportunity today this will be a travesty in the sport!"

Not being able to hear one more word, Michiru turned the TV off and sat down on her bed, head in her hands as she fought back the tears threatening to escape her beautiful, blue eyes. Michiru laughed bitterly again, before standing up and heading back into her bathroom, intent on distracting herself from crying.

"Love sucks."

* * *

At 2:25pm, Haruka Tenoh was in her dressing room, fully dressed and changed from her fire-suit into her relatively new and unworn Armani tuxedo; courtesy of her loving parents a few months earlier. Haruka stared at her reflection. After the race she had showered and spruced herself up something special. Her hair was in a cute and tousled state, she smelt impeccable and she looked quite dashing if she did say so herself. She looked every inch the charming sports personality, but as she looked deep into her own reflection, she could see in her eyes the emptiness that suddenly appeared overnight. Even her smile was not her usual. She was not at her full potential either, and everyone was oblivious to it except her… or so it would seem. And now she had to keep up this pretence, this horribly fake Haruka for the night, as she subtly charmed her way into the contracts of most appealing sponsors for the night. She hung her head and sighed deeply. Now she had to go out there and get into a limo that would drive her from the circuit and to the hall where she and the rest of 'Japan's youngest talent' were and whore herself out. And even though she was focusing on that, there was still something in the back of her mind, nagging at her to look at the clock, and every time she did she was only ever reminded of the fact that at 6:30pm the Winter Comps would be starting, and if Seiya was still at this stupid banquet with her after 3pm, then the arse for sure would not make it back. Haruka sighed and decided it was time to go and face the metaphorical music.

* * *

The location in which the banquet was being held was nothing short of breath-taking. A large country manor located right in the heart of Japan's countryside. It was perfect for rich men to come and show their wealth to the ambitious and money-hungry young who were there to vie for their affections... and their finances. Inside the manor house, the main banquet was being held in a large dining room adjacent to the room Haruka was currently standing in, with a glass of orange juice in her hand. She was surrounded by five gentlemen, all elderly than her who at the moment were praising her, but she couldn't care less.

"You scared us back there, Tenoh. Thought you'd gotten stage fright! I mean every car had been gone for ten seconds or more and I was sure you were going to lose! Talk about a shocker!" Haruka took a dislike to this man, who only seemed to want someone who could bring him victory. He had no faith in her driving abilities... well, in 'his' driving abilities. She still had to masquerade around these guys and that pissed her off too. Oh, what she wouldn't give to see each and every one of their faces when she told them she was a female. Oh God, what she'd pay! Inwardly chuckling at herself, Haruka was brought out of this little world of hers when the arrival of a gentleman aged around forty joined the group. With him was a beautiful and elegant woman who seemed to be the same age. The gentleman was dressed in a light blue suit, with a button down light blue shirt and no tie – instantly Haruka liked this man, he was laidback and seemed to not give a fuck what anyone else thought of him. His dark brown hair complimented his brown eyes, and he had the warmest smile she had seen all day. Haruka instantly smiled back at him. His wife was a beautiful woman of typical Japanese beauty, beautiful long black hair and dark eyes accompanied her but she had this air of mystery surrounding her. Haruka bowed to the couple, but before she could speak the gentlemen spoke first.

"It is an absolute pleasure to meet you Tenoh-san. Allow me to introduce myself; Kenzo Higa and this is my wife Akemi Higa." The couple bowed back and Haruka smiled. This was the kind of man she liked. He gave respect when respect was shown.

"You race exceptionally well as always Tenoh-san. I saw you at Fuji too. Amazing, it's almost like you were barely trying, but still you enjoyed it! Not as much as me I bet... man you are one exciting driver, Tenoh!" Haruka smiled, this man was definitely great, he was talking to her normally, and he clearly had passion f the sport. He wasn't bragging about his wealth like the other idiots here. Haruka relaxed and decided to use her disarming smile.

"Thank you Higa-san. It means a lot that you appreciate the sport more than others." Haruka let her eyes wander to the other five men who seemed oblivious, but Kenzo laughed, and he laughed loud.

"Please call me, Kenzo. I hope that all my potential drivers feel that familiar to me." Kenzo had a twinkle in his eye and Haruka wholeheartedly appreciated this man. He reminded her so much of her dad. So full of himself, but so humble somehow in his actions and the earnest tone in his voice. And his wife was not a trophy wife. Of course she was gorgeous, but she seemed content to be spending time with her husband, her eyes barely leaving his form once. Haruka sighed inwardly, but smiled at the couple before her. Then it all clicked in her mind. This was THAT Kenzo Higa?

"Higa? Of Higa Corporations?!" Kenzo smiled warmly then nodded,

"Yeah, that's me... well, last time I checked. I take it your manager told you a little about me." Haruka nodded instantly,

"I had heard you wanted me for the Super Aguri team... I'm not sure I could leave Honda, they've been very kind to me, Higa-san." Kenzo laughed at Haruka and at first the blond was angry but then Kenzo spoke,

"I take it Honda haven't spoken to you yet then? They're making engines for us too. Sort of like a joint venture... all above board don't worry Tenoh-san. So in effect you will be racing Honda... if you want to join us that is. I mean Honda have their main drivers in F1 don't forget, but we're relatively new and if Honda change their mind about letting you race for us, we're all partners. We share our talent and resources. You wouldn't be letting anyone down, Tenoh-san, if that's what you're thinking." Haruka was silent for a moment and took all this in. She had heard the rumours of course, but now that Higa himself said it was true, how could she argue? And of course, if they are with Honda, she could switch teams with no problems if she didn't enjoy it. Plus, starting with Honda brought far too much pressure. Starting out with a team as new as her could do her favours. Haruka looked up at Kenzo and grinned,

"Please Kenzo-san, my sponsors should feel free to call me Haruka-san." Before anymore could be said of Haruka's brand new agreement to join Super Aguri, into the room came the rest of the prospective young talents; ranging from soccer players and baseball players, to actors and young filmmakers and of course there were a few singers; Seiya being the most prominent in the room. Their eyes locked for a moment. Haruka's eyes filled with an intense dislike that the world had never known and Seiya's own eyes were filled with... what was that? Empathy? Pity? Oh no, she couldn't handle any more pity, not from him. Higa looked in the same direction that Haruka had concentrated her eyes and saw Seiya.

"Ah, yes you go to Mugen with Kou-san don't you? Man, that school is so lucky… So much talent in one place. You must be so glad to be surrounded by talent like your own, Haruka-kun. I even heard a rumour that Aiko Neptune transferred there, under a different name, but hey, gossip is gossip. I don't really listen to it all, but when you're an old man like me, it's all I can do to cling onto my youth!" Kenzo laughed heartily again and Haruka laughed too. Then she saw Seiya talking with some men who wore flashy sunglasses and made flamboyant hand gestures; they had to be music producers.

"Excuse me, Kenzo-san, I'll be back in a moment." Haruka quickly bowed and Kenzo smiled softly as Haruka began to walk over to Seiya. Akemi leaned against her husband,

"She seems like a nice girl... shame she felt like she couldn't tell us she was a nice girl herself though." Kenzo chuckled at his wife,

"She's got talent. She probably didn't want discrimination of her gender to be an issue. She's a good looking girl, though!" Kenzo beamed at his wife.

* * *

"Kou-san, I would love to sign you to my label but I hope you'll take no offence when I say that I need to hear and see you for myself. My scouts know talent, there is no doubting that, but I don't sign pretty-boys who get girls to swoon at their feet. I'm looking for talent, charisma and a lasting impression. Have you got all that Kou-san?" At this moment in time, Seiya Kou was faced with one of the biggest men in the Asian music industry, Shigeo Furuya, and now he needed to prove himself. With one look at the clock, Seiya saw it was 3:25pm, and he had one of the biggest chances of his life in front of him. Seiya looked up to the main stage where there were a few microphones set up next to instruments. He laughed inwardly to himself,

"Hai, Furuya-san, I have got everything you need and more. But my words are not always enough... perhaps I could show you?" Furuya raised his eyebrow in intrigue and he looked at the stage that had garnered Seiya' s attention. The older man smirked at Seiya and he nodded his head,

"Show me what you got, Kou-san." Seiya smirked and with a quick bow, he turned on his heel and made his way towards the stage. Just before he reached the stage, he felt someone grab a firm hold of his wrist. He turned and was faced with Haruka, glaring ever so slightly at him.

"What are you doing, Seiya? If you don't leave here in the next ten minutes, you know as well as I do, you will not make it back in time. Remember what I said, don't you dare let her down!" Seiya wriggled his arm free from Haruka's grasp and looked calmly at her,

"I won't let her down, Haruka. I promise. But just like you, I need to do this." Before another word could be said, Seiya jumped onto the stage, getting his music prepared.

Haruka walked away, deciding to sulk at the back of the room, constantly staring at her watch then back to Seiya. A few moments later, Seiya stood on the stage and cleared his throat to gain everyone's attention.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen and my esteemed fellow prodigies. I am Seiya Kou and I will be performing my piece earlier than previously planned. I hope you enjoy my rendition of 'Let Me In'. Thank you." The few violinists and cellists in the room began to play a gentle melody, and Seiya began to sing, his voice surprisingly smooth and calming. His eyes were closed and he sang with a certain charm that even Haruka could not deny.

_Loving you could be so easy,  
loving you could make me warm.  
Ever since the day I left you,  
I try, but I just can't get you  
out of my mind.  
_

It was in this moment that Haruka was sure the fates were mocking her. Although the song had been chosen by their manager (as most songs were), Seiya seemed to be reminding her of everything she was forced to leave behind. Haruka's mind drifted to the first time she had ever seen the aqua-haired beauty; she had just been rudely awoken from her mid-class slumber and looked up to see the most divine human being she had ever had the privilege to lay her eyes on. Michiru…to even think of the girl's fine features hurt Haruka deep inside. She moved her feet, trying to find a comfortable way to stand, but it all seemed in vain. No matter what she did, she knew she would never be comfortable. Not until she was with the one girl who could put her at ease. Haruka sighed and looked up at Seiya, who seemed to be off in his own world.

_Thought that I could do without you,  
thought I had to look around.  
But now that I know I need you,  
and promise that I'll never leave you,  
won't you please...  
_

Once again, Haruka was drawn to her memories of the previous weeks. She had thought Michiru was an uptight brat, but she proved to be quite the opposite. She was fun-loving, even if only a select few saw that side to her. The weeks they had spent dancing, Haruka had stolen a touch here or there on the younger girl's waist and although she felt guilty at the time, now she as laughing at the irony of Michiru probably wanting Haruka to steal those touches anyway. Haruka was already missing the touch of Michiru, although she would probably have to get used to this – she had a whole year ahead of herself to miss the younger girl. 'Love sucks!' this was something that Haruka definitely came to the conclusion of in the past twelve hours.

_Let me in  
let me in your arms again.  
Let me give my love to you once more.  
Let me love you, let me love you.  
Take me in,  
take me in your arms to stay,  
and I'll never go away again.  
'Cause I love you, 'cause I love you.  
_

Everyone was enamoured with Seiya's storytelling through his strong yet soft voice. He had everyone empathising with him; God knows he had Haruka's emotions in his hands. The tall girl wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. She wasn't crying but God she felt like it. Why couldn't life just be in her favour? Couldn't she be like the good guys and heroes in all those films she saw? Couldn't she get the glory and the girl? She scoffed… no, life wasn't one of the movies she watched as a kid with her dad. In life you can't have this and that, it was this OR that.

_I'll never be the same without you,  
if I have to say goodbye.  
I have no right to ask you,  
but if you can, won't you try to  
love me?  
(Won't you try to love me)  
Help me?  
(I need you so badly)  
And let (and let me)...  
_

One more glance to the clock showed Haruka that there was only three hours left for Seiya to get back to Tokyo, to their school and get changed and dance with Michiru. Ah yes no problem... shame about the three and a half hour journey it is from Mie to Tokyo, huh? Another glance spared to Seiya showed that he was oblivious to everything except the music. 'A true artiste – completely submerged in his work.' Haruka thought as she looked at Seiya, her eyes resting on the music producer near the front with a large smile and yen signs in his eyes. Seiya was doing what Haruka was doing. Putting their self first, securing their future and securing their careers before doing securing anything else in their lives. Was it practical or pathetic?

_Let me in,  
let me in your arms again.  
Let me give my love to you once more.  
Oh, 'cause I love you, 'cause I love you.  
Oh, take me in,  
take me in your arms to stay  
and I'll never go away again.  
Oh, 'cause I love you, 'cause I love you.  
_

No doubt it was practical but damn it all if it didn't reek of a pathetic lifestyle. Why bother building the perfect life if there is no-one to share it with? No-one to just enjoy life and be carefree with? But there was, wasn't there? Michiru was there, and what if when she came back, none of it mattered and Michiru hadn't found anyone? Then they could be together. Of course there is pressure in waiting for someone, god only knows what can happen in a year, but Haruka's heart was not so fickle. She intended on spending the rest of her years with the one she loved; Michiru Kaioh. And to spend a lifetime in the warm embrace that Haruka had envisioned was all she could hope for. But even if she couldn't have that, there was no way Haruka was living the next twelve months without knowing the sweetness of her love. It could drive her insane.

_Oh, let me in  
let me in your arms again.  
Let me give my love to you once more.  
Oh, let me love you, let me love you.  
Take me in,_  
_take me in your arms to stay  
and I'll never go away_

Haruka was only snapped from her reverie when the applause became deafening. Seiya was bowing on stage, relief written over his face. For a millisecond his eyes locked with Haruka's again and his expression changed to one of sadness. But for who, she wasn't sure as the moment passed so quickly. She did manage to catch a glimpse of Seiya looking over at the grandfather clock in the hall; 3:40pm. The music producer then approached Seiya and he brought the young man to him, grinning ear to ear.

"Kou-san, let's discuss the specifics of your contract!" Seiya grinned from ear to ear before moving into the crowd with the slime-ball music producer. Haruka had to clench her fists and swallow her anger... God he was going to let her down, she knew this would happen. Even if Haruka drove she would be cutting it fine and she was Japan's soon-to-be number one car racer. Looking around the room, Haruka needed an escape, anything to distract her. She knew that if she kept thinking about it, something could happen. She even had this inkling to run from the party, say to hell with it, and drive back to Tokyo and be Michiru's knight in shining armour. But another part of her told her how stupid that would be, to drive for three and a half hours to just dance three dances with a girl who only wanted to go to the dance to live a memory she lost because of Karin... shit, just like Haruka did with Keiko. The blonde shook her head in frustration and thought about how unfair this all was. What was the clear option?

"Tenoh-san, are you okay? You look troubled." Haruka looked up and was greeted with Akemi and Kenzo Higa standing in front of her, looking incredibly concerned at the blonde. Haruka forced out a smile, and the strain alone from doing it almost caused Haruka to wince in pain, hell it could have almost matched with the conflicting emotions she was feeling inside.

"I'm fine, Kenzo-san. I guess you could say I was just thinking about some things." Haruka looked away as she said that last word. Kenzo looked at her then smiled sympathetically. He then spoke in a quieter tone,

"Hai, I know that look Haruka-san... I was young once." Haruka looked up at Kenzo and saw the look in his eyes. He wasn't being patronising.

"Yeah. It's sometimes the worse feeling in the world... and here I thought it was meant to be the best." Haruka laughed at the irony, only realising it as she spoke about it. Akemi smiled.

"It really can be a cruel mistress and the most loving partner, Haruka-chan. Does this girl know how you feel?" Haruka looked up at Akemi, then down at her own appearance. Clearly Akemi Higa was a very perceptive woman, but that didn't matter. They didn't judge her but these strangers seemed to care for her when she was in a time of distress. Haruka simply nodded slowly, not letting her eyes leave those of the older woman in front of her. Akemi smiled gently once more.

"And does she feel the same way?" Haruka's jaw clenched as Michiru's words ran through her head again,_'__ I want to be with you. I do, and I had hope that you'll always feel that way for me, Haruka'_, and Haruka found herself simply nodding again, the ability to speak coherently had abandoned her for now. If she opened her mouth now, only choked words would come out. This time Kenzo looked at his wife, and he spoke once more.

"So you love this girl and she loves you? And you're still sad? I don't get it Haruka-san." Kenzo wasn't a stupid man, he was optimistic and Haruka wished there were more people like the Higa's in the world already. Haruka looked to the floor, and closed her eyes, willing her voice to return to her, to give them an answer and put this heart-breaking issue to rest. After a few seconds, she found the energy to grant her the ability to speak up.

"Yes, she loves me deeply and I love her deeply. But our year of separation... it would not benefit us... and she thought it would be best to forget each other… For now." Kenzo nodded slowly, digesting all the information but Akemi was smiling hopefully,

"But that only means after a year, you can get together and enjoy your youth together, ne?" Kenzo looked over at the worried racer.

"I understand, Haruka-san. It's a new love, right?" Haruka looked at him. She didn't move and she didn't say anything but she didn't need to, her eyes gave him the answer. Kenzo seemed apologetic as he continued speaking, "I agree that this is unfortunate Haruka and at such a special time for lovers. But I hope you have all loose ends sorted out for the day after tomorrow."

"The day after tomorrow? What's going on then?" Haruka was feeling weak. She had brought up all her emotional problems to a stranger, well her sponsor, and now she was confused. Had she forgotten an event or something? What the hell was going on the day after tomorrow? Kenzo raised one eyebrow, seemingly amused at the blonde's reaction.

"Did you not get the second letter? It was meant to be given to you at Fuji, Haruka-san." Upon seeing Haruka's increasingly confused look, Kenzo carried on, "At Fuji, just after the press conference, you were to be told about the change in travel plans for the F1 rookies... you're not leaving in the New Year. You're leaving on the 26th, Haruka-san." Haruka's jaw dropped on the floor. How could ANYONE have forgotten to tell her that very important detail?! She was damned glad she had already sorted out her belongings and packed everything, but goddamit, now she had 7 days less with her family and friends than she had planned. The anger and confusion must have been clear on her face because she soon felt a calming hand on her shoulder,

"Haruka-san, are you okay?" Haruka looked up at the man and she shook her head,

"I need to go to Tokyo. I'm sorry, Kenzo-san." Kenzo smiled softly,

"If you promise to race for me Tenoh-san come the 26th and don't be sorry. I am a man of my word and I promise to give you a place on my team if you promise to race for me right now. I take it the girl is back in Tokyo?" Haruka nodded and Kenzo smiled, and Haruka looked at Kenzo.

"I promise I will be here on the 26th but I need to go to Tokyo. I need... I need to make sure that I leave properly." Kenzo smiled understandingly. Haruka wanted to go back and show the girl that she was all she thought about. When she was told she was leaving a week earlier, she wasn't thinking about getting to race with the big boys earlier, no, she was thinking about the girl and how she didn't want to leave her a week earlier. Kenzo chuckled and looked through his pockets, he pulled out two pairs of car keys, one with Kenzo's name emblazoned on the key and another plain simple car key attached to a plastic tag with 'prototype' written in messy Kanji.

"In that case Tenoh, take these," He threw the prototype key to Haruka and winked, "Take the team car. Go and make sure you leave her properly. See you on the 26th." Haruka smiled as she made a mad dash to the exit out of the manor, and she threw her key to the valet who disappeared around the corner hurriedly. As Haruka waited impatiently for 'her car', Haruka's phone in her trouser pocket began vibrating madly, she took it out and looked at the caller ID; Aw, shit it was her agent. She answered it reluctantly,

"HARUKA! Are you freaking MAD? Leaving the middle of this banquet? You had better have a damned good reason! TELL ME!" Haruka held the phone away from her ear for a moment,

"Don't worry Super Aguri will sign me... you'll get your commission." The boy returned with her car, "I gotta go, bye!" As the boy got out, Haruka took a quick moment to admire the beautiful car in front of her. She jumped in and couldn't believe the rumours were true. The Aguri-Honda supercar, the Honda concept, was real and she was sitting in it, in all its metallic silver glory. They released an earlier version, but as soon as Haruka saw the 320mph speed the car could clearly reached, she grinned. She could definitely make Tokyo for 6:30pm, and with that thought in mind, she let go and guided the car on its rapid journey to Tokyo, every few seconds glancing at the clock.

* * *

Once she got stopped by a red light 90 miles from her destination, Haruka decided to play is safe due to the amount of cars. She took out her cellphone and made a swift phone call to her dad, he should be there at Mugen with Setsuna and Hotaru. She got put through to voicemail after a solid thirty seconds of ringing. It was still a red light, but before she could speak she had to wait a moment, a helicopter overheard would have drowned out the words she so badly needed her dad to hear. After she relayed her message, she looked over at the clock. 6:02pm, fuck she was really cutting it fine.

* * *

At Mugen Gakuen, there were 8 girls standing in the gymnasium, which had been transformed into a more than elegant ballroom that matched the images most of the girls had in their minds. The floor had been freshly polished the night before and it looked like the perfect floor for dancing. And at the moment, there were only a few couples from each school here, but it seemed like a big deal and in fact the panel announced that due to the small numbers and the time they had, they could see every pair dance without any other pair. Every pair would be at the mercy of the judges. But the judges came as a shock to Michiru. Why did no-one tell her that Yumi and Leon Tenoh were going to be two of the five judges'? What the hell? Did that slip everyone's mind? She thought back to when she saw the familiar woman at the panel.

* * *

"_MINAKO! That-that-that's Haruka's mum!" Minako looked over to the panel where Yumi was sitting quite comfortably, with Leon sitting behind her talking to her softly. Minako scrunched her face in confusion,_

"_Yes... it is. Are you okay, Michiru? Did you not read your sig- up sheet properly?" Michiru looked at the blonde incredulously._

"_The sign-up sheet? Are you mad? Did it not occur to anyone to tell me that they were the judges?!" Minako laughed softly and put a hand on Michiru's shoulder, almost to support her laughing frame,_

"_Oh you are too much, Michiru-chan! So you didn't think that Yumi Tenoh, one of the best ballroom dancers Japan ever produced would not take part in a prestigious dance competition as a judge? With her equally as qualified husband, Leon Tenoh, the most acclaimed Latin dance teacher in Tokyo?" Minako carried on giggling, and Michiru frowned in slight annoyance before regaining her composure._

"_Isn't that bias? I mean their daughter goes to Mugen. They may sway their vote that way." This time all the girls laughed and Setsuna approached Michiru and spoke calmly._

"_Michiru, for the years Haruka did compete and her parents were judges, not once did they ever give Haruka a positive feedback. In fact once, they told Haruka to go home and check she didn't leave her dancing shoes at home. She was so annoyed. They always scored her fairly though, but trust us, there was no bias!" Michiru found herself grinning, imagining Haruka's face as she would be told her dance was less than spectacular... or being told that she lacked passion... or sex appeal! HA!_

* * *

Michiru looked over to the judges again, and Yumi smiled gently at Michiru. At that, the younger girl felt her guilt build up and couldn't bring herself to look at Yumi anymore. She looked away and looked down at Hotaru. She was talking to Taiki, much to Setsuna's annoyance but because it was Hotaru it was that loving annoyance.

"Taaaaaaiki-kun, when are you going to marry Setsuna-chan?" Taiki instantly sweat-dropped and looked over to Setsuna who simply smiled amused. She giggled then spoke to Hotaru,

"Taru-chan, can't you go and bug someone else?" Hotaru stuck her tongue out playfully at Setsuna then pouted,

"No I can't! Yaten threatened to eat all my sweets at school if I kept bothering him, Seiya-kun isn't here yet and Haruka-papa won't be back till tomorrow. Taiki-kun is the only person left! If you take him away, who can I talk to?" Setsuna grinned,

"Only interested in talking to the boys, eh, hime-chan?" Hotaru went redder than a tomato.

"N-n-no... erm, oh look, Leon-papa! Bye!" With that Hotaru ran over to Leon who grinned and took the little girl into his arms. Michiru looked around once again. She was getting a little worried now. It was 6:22pm, and Seiya had called her at two guaranteeing he would be there, but here they were with 8 minutes left till the beginning of the Winter Comps and still no sign of him. Michiru had already signed them in, so it was just a matter of waiting. Before Michiru could worry anymore, Leon stood up and approached the microphone near the judges table, and he cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Winter Comps, Tokyo regionals. I'd like to welcome Mugen Gakuen competitors for the night; Michiru Kaioh, Seiya Kou, Setsuna Meioh, Taiki Kou, Minako Aino and Yaten Kou." Michiru began to space off as Leon introduced the competitors from Ikuen Gakuen and Gaigo Gakuen. It was only when Leon's intense stare, which was too similar to his daughter's , was directed at her did she begin to pay attention, because Leon was announcing the first dance and the first couple, " So in five minutes, I hope Miss Kaioh and Mr Kou would please come to the floor as our first couple and grace us with their rendition of the Vienesse Waltz. You have five minutes until then, have a good evening ladies and gentlemen."

Michiru could feel the stress rise in her body. All she wanted to do was to have her one dance, damn it, and Seiya was nowhere to be found. Michiru decided to stress out in a nearby chair, and she looked over the room. There were nearly 200 people there to watch them all dance. It would come to her time to dance, and he wouldn't be here. 'Oh God, this is not happening.' was all the young violinist could think.

* * *

Haruka was around the corner and she smiled to herself, it was 6:29pm, and she was literally seconds away from the school. She would make it in time. Haruka had to thank the Gods for this. Time was on her side... well that and a car with nearly 200 horsepower.

* * *

Leon was very confused. Well, he had been for over an hour and a half. Since he had checked his voicemail. It was from Haruka and it confused him a little. He had seen on Setanta that his little girl was in Mie, she had won her race... after a worrying start. But his mind kept wondering back to the voicemail he received from her.

"_Dad, it's me, Ruka. I know that this is not going to make much sense but... oh wait a minute, there's a freaking helicopter going past now!... Anyway... I want you to know I really do love you and I would never do anything to risk my career or my future. I would never want to disappoint you, and I have no intention of doing so. But I just want to know that you'll love me and be proud of me regardless of my decisions. I love you and mum so much." _

There was no way after that race that Ruka did not get a sponsorship, it would have been damned near impossible, not to mention an absolute disgrace to the sport if she was refused one because of her rare bad start. Oh well, it was sixty seconds till the Comps would officially start and as Leon was about to bring this to his wife's attention, he looked towards the door and saw a familiar figure. His eyebrows rose in definite shock.

* * *

Michiru sat on her chair and sighed inwardly. She could see Leon staring over at her, but this time he was not staring… he was gawping. Yes, a definite gawp, but not to her… to something behind her. But judging from the steady breathing coming from behind her, it was not something, but rather someone. As she was about to turn around and see who was standing behind her, she heard a familiar voice speak,

"Sorry, I'm late Michiru-chan." Michiru spun around and opened her eyes in shock. She took in the figure in front of her. She thought that since her partner was clearly not making it that she was doomed, so the figure in front of her was definitely a shock to her senses. The other person was slightly breathless, no doubt from running from whatever vehicle they were in, in order to get to the room on time. They were dressed in an impeccable tuxedo and their hair was looking more styled and controlled than it usually did. When Michiru finally found her voice, she shakily said the other's name.

"Seiya?"

* * *

**A/N 2 - Sigh... you know what to do if you've made it this far!**

**(Let Me In does not belong to me, it is the property of The Osmonds b if I did own it I would make it a hella smexx)**


	13. Decision in a Doorway

**A/N - sigh bonjour all! My laptop is being sent away to hopefully be repaired in the next 4-6 weeks (joy of joys), bu I decided to at least put up this next chapter. Hope y'all enjoy, if I get enough reviews for this one, I'll throw up the other one ASAP... but life is so cruel, stealing my beloved laptop away from me like that! :( Anyhoo, on with the show...**

* * *

**CHAPTER 13 – DECISION IN A DOORWAY **

"Seiya... what are you doing here?" Only after Michiru had said this did she realise how stupid it had sounded; Seiya was her partner for the Winter Comps and he promised to turn up. Michiru inwardly cursed herself while Seiya smiled gently.

"Well, I know I'm a little late... but I did say I would be here." He smiled again at Michiru who absentmindedly nodded, and after a moment forced a polite smile.

"Of course. You did say you would be here and here you are." Michiru forced another, albeit gentler, smile towards Seiya. Before Michiru could say another word, the doors to the gymnasium opened once again and Michiru held her breath in anticipation, hoping, no expecting, to see Haruka burst through and take her in her arms and tell her how she was staying and nothing could separate her from Michiru. So imagine Michiru's surprise when Haruka didn't burst through the doors. She was disappointed it wasn't Haruka, but surprised because she saw her parents standing in front of her, after almost 9 weeks of absence from her life. Her father was a gentleman in his mid 40's, in a dark blue business suit, with his tie loose around his neck and a slightly tired look surrounding him. His hair was the exact same shade as Michiru's and his deep, brown eyes were always a constant source of warmth and security to the only Kaioh child. Michiru's mother had jet black hair, styled in a fashionable cut just below her shoulders. Her elegant business suit matched the shade of her husband's, and the grace with which she held herself allowed the woman's body to speak volumes of her beauty, which her daughter clearly inherited, as well as her mother's deep blue eyes.

"Okaa-san, Otou-san, you made it?" Her parents began walking over to her, smiles plastered on their faces, but they didn't reach their daughter in time as one of Leon's co-judges took over on the microphone, on account of the fact Leon hadn't moved from his catatonic state in nearly 90 seconds.

"Would all the contestants please make their way to the dance-floor for the group ballroom waltz?" Michiru threw her parents an apologetic look as she made her way to the dance-floor. A simple look to Seiya made Michiru tell herself that this was it; the blonde wasn't going to be here. She was really going to be in Mie all night. Michiru laughed at herself; she actually thought she may have had her fairytale ending. All Michiru had wanted, since the night Karin had humiliated her, was to dance in the dress she had bought for the person she thought she was in love with. She thought to had been with Karin and she was sorely mistaken. It was so clear to her that it was Haruka, but she pushed the blonde away scared. That's what she was… she was scared. She wanted to love but she didn't want to be hurt again. God, was she really that frightened that when love throws itself at her in the form of a blonde, cocky racer that she would just push it away as soon as it became real? Not so much real, but when that love would be tested – was Michiru so frightened of taking another risk? She looked up to Seiya, to see him waiting patiently to take her to the dance-floor. Michiru took his hand and followed him to the main floor, both taking their stance as everyone became silent, in anticipation for the music to begin for the entire group standard ballroom waltz. Michiru's mother and father opted to stand at the back of the hall where they were, looking at their daughter dancing with a good-looking young man. Michiru's mother looked over to her husband and whispered in his ear just as the music was starting.

"Who is that young man, koi?" Before Michiru's father could even take in the question asked by his wife; a breathless, husky voice from beside him and spoke clearly and sadly.

"Seiya?" Haruka ignored everyone's questioning looks and she slowly stepped back out the way she came. Defeated she began making her way to the car park of Mugen Gakuen.

* * *

An instrumental began to play, a well known one in ballroom; The Blue Danube, and it was the cue for the waltz to begin. Seiya put both of his hands at the small of Michiru's back and let her lean back then forwards elegantly. She placed her hands delicately on his shoulders and made eye contact with him. He had this strange look in his eyes… it was sadness and some form of happiness all at the same time. Seiya stepped around Michiru, letting her slowly turn on the spot. Then their hands connected, and his free hand rested on her waist. Stealing a quick glance to her parents, she could see them staring out in the hallway and a flash of red dashed out the exit too – why was Elza leaving? She loved to watch everyone dance. Michiru was forced to concentrate as she felt Seiya take a toe lead forward, making her toe step backwards, then half-spin into a pose where both were connected at a perfect diagonal but had their left legs outstretched behind them.

* * *

"Haruka!" The red haired girl was shocked she had enough air to shout that loud to the blonde who was running back to her car at full speed.

"HARUKA!" The blonde finally stopped much to Elza's relief, but as soon as Elza saw that she had stopped by a sports car, she realised the only reason the blonde had stopped was because she had to in order to get the car keys out and let herself in. With what little energy she had left, Elza rushed over to the Honda Concept and managed to ungraciously slam herself into Haruka, just as the blonde managed to open the door.

"What the fuck?! Elza, get off of me!" Haruka was pissed off at the moment. In fact, this was even angrier than the Haruka Elza saw at last years' Winter Comps. Haruka tried to open the car door again, but this time Elza managed to slam the car door shut before the tomboy could get in.

"What the hell is your problem, Grey?" Once again those dangerous green eyes made their appearance, and if it wasn't for the fact that Elza knew Haruka so well, she would probably be cowering right now. Instead, Elza let her confusion get the better of her.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Tenoh? Aren't you meant to be in Mie?" Nothing but silence followed. Haruka put both her hands against the car and leaned against it. She took a few deep breaths, and she laughed bitterly.

"Yeah, Elza, I am meant to be in Mie." Elza scrunched her face up confused. She had seen Haruka win her race not 4 hours ago, and it was nearly a four hour drive here. So, what the hell was going on?

"Haruka, why are you here? I'm confused, didn't you have the dinner to go to with-" Elza was completely silenced as Haruka threw her fist as hard as she could into the car in front of her. Holy shit, that had to hurt, but Elza said nothing…she only looked confused at her friend. Haruka took some deep breaths and her shoulders began to gently tremble. Her head was hanging down and at first Elza thought she was laughing again, but it was only when the unmistakeable sound of sniffling was heard did Haruka raise her head, her eyes showing the signs of tears. She looked over behind Elza's shoulder and she laughed bitterly again. Elza looked behind her and saw a Black Escalade with the unmistakeable sign of King Records emblazoned on its side. Haruka waited until Elza brought her attention back to her before speaking.

"He made it. He said he would. And here he is, on time... and here I am. Looking like an idiot." Elza smiled gently.

"You left Mie to come all the way down here? Because you didn't think Seiya would make it on time?" Elza kept her distance from her friend. Haruka was clearly not in the mood to joke even a little, and teasing was out of the question for sure.

"Yeah, I came all the way down here for her. Not because of Seiya really, though I hoped he wouldn't be here. Elza, I'm leaving on the 26th."

"What?!" Haruka broke their eye contact and looked up at the sky. She took in the darkened December sky. Haruka had always loved the way the stars came out early and danced across the night sky.

"They forgot to give me the notice in Fuji... can you believe it?" There was a brief silence as Haruka looked back over to the Escalade, "How did he make it here on time? He was still there when I left Mie!"

* * *

There was a comfortable silence between Michiru and Seiya as they held their footings for poses while in their waltz. Michiru found it increasingly difficult to keep her head up and smile when she was feeling so disappointed. Seiya looked down at Michiru and he smiled gently again.

"Michiru-chan, are you okay?" Michiru continued on her back heel lead as Seiya took a toe lead.

"Hai, I'm fine Seiya." She wasn't usually a good liar and today was no exception, "I thought you weren't going to make it." Seiya had to suppress a laugh as he and Michiru spun elegantly twice.

"I nearly didn't make it. I need to thank Furaya-san when this is over." Michiru's clearly perplexed expression nearly caused Seiya to burst out into laughter.

* * *

"_Let's discuss the specifics of your contract, Kou-san!" As Furuya-san said this, Seiya found himself looking at his watch. 3:40pm. He was really not going to make it at this rate._

"_Yeah, my contract... Should we arrange a meeting for next week sometime? Or in the New Year? Because I really have to go and-" The music man held his hand up, instantly silencing the young singer._

"_You have somewhere to be that's more important than here, Kou-san?" Seiya coughed to buy more time. How could he answer that? 'Oh yeah, I've got to go and dance with my ex-best friend's possible girlfriend even though they're not together'. Yeah, that wouldn't go down too well, but still the singer needed to go, not just for Haruka and Michiru but for himself. He had had enough of everyone assuming he was a total letdown. He made some major mistakes sure, but he was going to show everyone that he wasn't what they all thought. He was Seiya Kou and he kept his promises… he was a man of his word._

"_Furuya-san, I would love to sign a contract with you and be an idol, but I can't be a hypocrite can I? And what would people say if you signed me onto your label without letting me finish my school or gaining as many credits as possible?" Furuya-san's face drained of colour. He really wanted Seiya to join his label. He could only imagine the possibilities he could reach with Seiya's talent and good looks in his company, but he couldn't let Kou know this. So soon Furuya flashed a smooth smile._

"_Credits? School? What are you playing at Kou?" Seiya saw through his insecure smile instantly._

"_Look, Furuya-san. Get me to Tokyo tonight. Anyway you can, get me to Mugen Gakuen for 6:30pm and you can sign me. I'll give you royalties and enough material for a dozen albums. Just get me there on time." Seiya wasn't really that arrogant, but there was a reason that Furuya had approached him. Seiya would have to have been an idiot to have ignored Furuya's greedy gleam when he was performing earlier. _

"_All the royalties?" Seiya was about to roll his eyes at the man in front of him. Seiya nodded._

"_You get the royalties from my first two standard albums. Do we have a deal?" Furuya looked down at Seiya. It wasn't a bad deal. A boy like Seiya could shift an awful lot of albums in a very short space of time, over and over again. _

"_All I have to do is get you to Tokyo before 6:30pm? It's 3:45pm, Kou-san. The roads will take far too long." Seiya's jaw clenched. No, they won't be right about me. Not tonight. But Furuya spoke again, " You know King Records is based in Tokyo... we have a helicopter... we can take one from our Mie base to there... then get you a ride to your school. But after your school, you sign a contract. Deal?" Without a second thought, Seiya shook the man's hand in front of him. Sure, it seemed brash, but he wasn't just proving himself to Michiru and Haruka, but to everyone. As Seiya followed Furuya out the building he could hear their agent yelling down into a phone,_

"_HARUKA! Are you freaking MAD? Leaving the middle of this banquet? You had better have a damned good reason! TELL ME!" Seiya did a double-take. Haruka left? He didn't have time to think further, as he could feel Furuya dragging him to the valet outside and just as they approached the young boy, Seiya could see a silver sports car being driven off, in a way that reminded him of how Haruka drove. But that wasn't her car, or her... was it?_

* * *

"You took a helicopter here?!" Michiru uncharacteristically squealed but covered it up as the couple entered their last steps, including a parallel backward step pose. Seiya kept his composure,

"Yeah, I know, I couldn't believe it. It almost sounds like a bad story, but that's what happened. People were desperate to please me today, I guess." Before they had realised it, the music had stopped, and they were naturally in their final pose. Seiya was holding Michiru's hand and bowed to kiss it gently.

All the dancers stopped and applauded one another and Michiru instantly turned around to see her parents who were smiling proudly at her. This would be the first time she would get to show them this dance and she was going to make it good. Not just for them, but for Haruka who made her a better dancer. Michiru smiled to Seiya as they assumed the floor, but the judge who had taken over the microphone stood up and sighed heavily.

"There will be a few minutes delay until the first dance. It seems as though Mr Tenoh has disappeared... We are very sorry for the inconvenience, Kou-san and Kaioh-san." Yumi had to giggle behind her hand. She had seen Haruka appear and disappear too but Leon, unlike her, decided to be his usual uncouth self and escape from the room and chase down his daughter. Yumi looked over to the Mugen students and winked before standing up and walking out of the room with utter grace and elegance. Setsuna rose an eyebrow suspiciously and Hotaru frowned in confusion. Why was Yumi so happy? She usually hated when Leon did this and she had to go searching for him.

* * *

"Haruka, you got a sponsor with Super Aguri? What the hell?" Elza seemed confused. How could Haruka have gotten a sponsor and be here? Usually you spent hours kissing ass just to get them to consider... but this was Haruka Tenoh, F2 prodigy, soon-to-be F1.

"Yeah, I got it. And Seiya's here, so I wasted my time coming down here. I should have stayed in Mie and kept my damn self out of this mess." Elza didn't know what to say, but luckily enough another voice spoke out.

"Yeah, but if you did that then you'd have stayed there worrying all night and ended up looking older than me." Haruka turned her head to the entrance, and saw Leon standing there. He was smiling broadly at her and he walked over to the two girls. He wrapped a fatherly arm around Haruka and kissed her forehead.

"Your mother and I are so proud of you Haru-chan, no matter what you do." Haruka looked up at Leon and couldn't bring herself to smile… if she did, she might cry. Instead she nodded meekly and hid her face. Then Haruka distinctly heard her mother's voice.

"That's right. We are proud of you regardless, Ruka."

"What is this? Tenoh family reunion?" Elza quipped jovially as Haruka snapped her head up and saw her mother gliding towards her, a smile on her features and her arms out. Haruka instantly went to Yumi and let herself be embraced. To most other people Yumi was a very formal woman, who showed barely any emotion to the public and was relatively cold to most. But Haruka knew her mother. Yumi was so passionate about a lot of things; dancing, music and her family. If Haruka was in need of anyone right now it was her mother. Her mother cried an ocean when her father passed away – they were all so close and Yumi herself lost her mother in her youth and it was rather sudden as he was a very active and healthy man. So, if Haruka needed anyone right now, it was her mother who reminded her of the vulnerability even the strong could have. So Haruka let herself be held like a child. She let her mother coo her in her arms for what seemed like hours but in reality was only twenty seconds. Yumi pulled back and put Haruka at arms' length away from her.

"Haru-chan... you came back for Michiru-chan right?" Haruka nodded at her mother's question, the young blonde wanted to avoid speaking at the moment.

"Why, Ruka?" Haruka looked deep into her mothers eyes and could see her mother had put up her cold facade and now the loving mother was gone. Haruka cleared her throat.

"What?" Okay, it wasn't the most eloquent of responses but that single word pretty much said everything she needed to convey at that moment. Why was her mum being like this?

"Why are you here, Ruka? Because you wanted to dance with Michiru? Is that it?" Yumi sounded as though she was almost scoffing at the idea. Well, Haruka would have been more offended, but that's not why she was here.

"No! I'm here because..." Why was she here? She wanted to be with Michiru as much as possible before she left that was for sure. A dance at the Comps would be amazing too. But she was here because she knew that Michiru... "because I know Michiru wants me to be here... For her. So here I am. I'm here for her, and because of her, and I don't regret it. Even if I do feel like an idiot." Haruka felt her mother smother her in another hug and felt that warmth returned.

"I am so proud of you Ruka. I know how hard it is. When distance comes between two people, most would just give up, but here you are, closing that distance, and you have determination. I know you won't give up on her. So, don't start now by walking away. Come inside and at least let her see that you came here for her." Yumi put one arm around Haruka's shoulder and gave it a maternal tightening that once again gave Haruka some resolve. Haruka slumped her shoulder a little,

"So you don't think I look a complete idiot right now, mum?" Yumi laughed gently and guided Haruka towards the building.

"Oh Haru-chan, after being married to your father for so long, you could never look like a complete idiot. He takes that title." Yumi winked to Haruka at the end of her sentence but Leon, who was following behind with Elza, frowned.

"Hey! I'm not a complete idiot!" Yumi looked back at him and smiled, but then brought her attention back to her daughter. They reached the doors to the building and Haruka stopped in her tracks.

"I'm not sure I can do this, okaa-san." Yumi brought her eyes to level with her daughter's, which reminded her so much of her husband, and she smiled gently once again.

"Haruka, what's the use in living half a life? Don't let fear take over the side of you that should be hopeful. Don't let fear be one half of Haruka Tenoh." Yumi didn't wait for Haruka to respond, she walked into the building, followed slowly by Leon, who glanced over his shoulder and smiled at his daughter and Elza who seemed reluctant to enter the building without making sure the blonde was entering. Haruka stood in the entrance to Mugen and looked around at her surroundings. About a two minute walk away from her was the room where the Comps were being held. Where everyone who knew her would see her…everyone who would know the one reason she was there in the room where Michiru was. And just a hundred yards in the parking lot was the car that got her here in under three hours. The one car right now that could take her away from it all. With a deep intake of breath, Haruka raised her head to the sky once more; she smiled gently to herself. 'It's not a very hard decision to make.'

* * *

**A/N 2 - So yeah, you're here now... so ... review and stuff, cos it makes me happy... oh and did I forget to mention immense smexxi love should be given to the awesome Reusch17 for proof reading practically this entire story? She rocks. Fact!**


	14. Con Te Partiro

**A/N - Yo. Sorry for the delay, but you know the drama of computers when they die on you. Anyhow, here is the chapter y'all have been very patient for. I'd like to thank Reusch17 once again for using her smexxi skills and proof-reading this (you really are so patient with me and my horrendous grammatical errors! ). So without any further ado, here is the chapter. **

* * *

**CHAPTER 14 – CON TE PARTIRO**

Michiru approached her parents soon after the waltz had ended and had been speaking with them for a few minutes about some idle chitchat, while all the while Seiya was standing right behind her. Michiru's mother looked at the young man, who seemed as though he had something on his mind, and she bent down into Michiru's ear,

"Is this the young man you were speaking about? The special one?" Michiru turned a bright colour of red before shaking her head vehemently.

"No! Okaa-san, Seiya-kun is just a friend!" Michiru's father chuckled gently,

"Ah, now we have a name, huh? The poor boy has been standing there for over two minutes and you've yet to introduce him to us, Michi!" Michiru turned to Seiya and smiled apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Seiya-kun, I forgot to introduce you to my parents. This is Asami Kaioh my mother, and my father Katsuo Kaioh. Mother, father, this is Seiya Kou, my dancing partner." Seiya bowed in respect to Michiru's parents and they too bowed back. Before Seiya could give a verbal greeting, Katsuo spoke to him, more curiously than rudely.

"So, that young man knew you, Kou-san?" Seiya was bewildered. What young man? There were like thirty here tonight who knew him! Upon seeing Seiya's perplexed face, Katsuo chucked.

"Ah don't worry, he left shortly after... quite rude if you ask me. But the two seconds he was here, he didn't take his eyes off of you, Kou-san. I daresay you have a male admirer." Michiru's father said that last part in a whisper which caused Seiya to wince. All he needed now was a male admirer to top off all the drama in his life.

"Thanks for the heads-up, Kaioh-san. Please excuse me, but I would like to have a word with your daughter before our dance. Excuse us." Seiya gently took Michiru by the hand and lead her away from her parents at one side of the entrance and took her to just the other side, her back to the door. Michiru didn't even notice Leon and Yumi re-enter the room, and Seiya sighed.

"I had better say this quick, Michiru. The judges are back." Michiru glanced quickly over her left shoulder to the judges table and sure enough Leon and Yumi were making their way to the judges' table. They began to talk animatedly with the other judges and seemed to be in a small argument, but Michiru's attention was snapped back to Seiya as he cleared his throat.

"Michiru, it's common knowledge about your feelings for Haruka. I know that now, though I didn't know that until yesterday... I'm a little embarrassed to say it now, but I kind of, well, I liked you a lot okay. But if there's one thing I've learned with women, it's that there's no point in trying to sway their opinion." Seiya laughed to himself and he seemed a little lost as to what he should say. He lowered his head, "I tried my best to get here tonight for two reasons, Michiru. I promised you I would be here, and I had to prove to everyone that I'm not the person I was last year. I was a jerk, I was jealous of Keiko and Haruka. I was brought up a different way, but I know now what I did was wrong. And I don't want to leave here being known as 'that guy'. But I know it'll take more than words before everyone, hell, before anyone can forgive me for betraying my best friend, but I want to work hard at showing it with actions rather than words... that I'm sorry." Seiya lifted his head to look at Michiru but his gaze was brought to the figure standing at the entrance, looking at the two, with a sad look in their deep green eyes. A hand was run swiftly through blonde hair and Seiya smiled gently to Haruka, who returned it after a moment's hesitation. Seiya gulped nervously,

"I'm sorry, Haruka. I really am." Michiru looked at Seiya confused. She saw he was not looking at her, and usually she would have thought this a very rude thing to do in conversation, but she was too confused. Why did he apologize as though Haruka was there? So she thought for a second.

"Haruka?" Michiru thought just verbalizing her confusion in one word would give Seiya the hint to clarify himself. But he said nothing. He still stared over her shoulder. She was about to speak again, but she was frozen to the spot as she heard a familiar husky voice speak.

"Yes?" Michiru slowly, oh ever so slowly, turned around. Her eyes widened in evident shock and she finally saw the one person she had been hoping would turn up all night. Those green eyes looked deep into her very soul and seemed to devour every fibre in her being. And Michiru longed to be held in those arms again.

"H-Haruka? What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in Mie and - " Haruka laughed heartily.

"Man, if one more person asks me why I'm here, I may just hop in my car and leave."

"NO! I- I mean, don't leave." Michiru could feel the colour rising to her cheeks and before she knew it Haruka had placed her hand gently on her cheek, the back of Haruka's hand softly caressing her.

"I would never dream of it." A moment passed in which Michiru could feel herself melt in those familiar green orbs that brought her so much happiness and sadness in the past two months. Then a cough from behind Haruka snapped both teens out of their moment. Haruka turned around and was faced with Asami and Katsuo Kaioh; Michiru's mother with one eyebrow raised and a smirk on her face whereas Michiru's father seemed to be glaring daggers at the youth who touched his daughter so intimately. Michiru's father cleared his throat and kept his gaze fixed on Haruka.

"And you are?" Haruka looked to Michiru who was blushing profusely, which in turn made Haruka smirk.

"Haruka Tenoh." Haruka bowed respectfully to Michiru's parents. As she stood up straight, they could see Leon approach the microphone again, a smile gracing his handsome features.

"I am very sorry for the delay, I had an urgent matter to deal with... now without any further delay, we would like to invite Michiru Kaioh and her partner to the floor, and they will be dancing the Viennese Waltz." Leon sat back down.

Haruka turned to Michiru and Seiya and forced a smile.

"Good luck you two, remember the steps I taught you." She saw Michiru frown but then force a smile too. Seiya on the other hand was shaking his head. Haruka looked at him questioningly.

"No... I don't think I'm going to dance this one, Haruka-san." Seiya waved his hand at the two who were about to blow their lids at him. "After last year... I think that this one is yours, for sure." Haruka looked down at Michiru who was trying to suppress a smile.

"But I'm not registered to dance." Could Haruka have sounded more pathetic? In her mind, no, she pretty much reached the pinnacle with that.

"Ha, and I wasn't last year, and I danced. Go, now, before you're penalized for a delay. Go!" Seiya pushed the two girls to the direction of the dance-floor and after a few seconds the two teens began walking of their own accord to the dance-floor. Everyone at the Mugen table began talking excitedly, especially Minako and Usagi who decided to start gushing at their other halves and talking about how romantic it all was. As Michiru and Haruka finally made it to the main floor, there was a hubbub of whispers. Nearly everyone in this room had been here at the last Comps, when Haruka Tenoh announced she wasn't going to dance to Makoto, who in turn told her friends – and once Usagi and Minako knew, everyone knew. So to see Haruka Tenoh suddenly turn up at the Winter Comps, and to dance, well… that was nothing short of pure gossip heaven.

The judge who had taken over from Leon previously grabbed the microphone and told everyone to be quiet as they had been delayed enough. Leon ignored the man, and wrapped his arm around Yumi, as they looked on at their daughter who had the girl of her dreams, the woman she loved in her arms. Yumi brought a gentle kiss to Leon's cheek and the two watched with baited breath as the music began to play.

* * *

"You look beautiful, Michiru." Haruka found herself whispering, as she gently took Michiru's hand in her own, their eyes locked. Michiru usually would have turned her head away in embarrassment at such a statement from the blonde, but instead she found herself unable to take her eyes away from the tomboy. She thought for a split second that if she looked away, that Haruka would disappear and all this would have been a dream. A cruel, wonderful dream played on her by the Gods... or her over-active imagination.

"You look very handsome, Haruka." Haruka stole a quick glance at herself, ducking her head down to look at a brief view of her own body and attire. She smirked as she raised her head and gazed into the deep blue eyes that she loved so much. Their cue was about to come up, and Haruka smiled broadly at the beautiful young woman in front of her. The blonde could feel her heart pound as that smile was returned with so much love and intensity… it could almost cause you to faint.

Haruka took Michiru's hand gently, and by her fingertips she guides Michiru to stand side-by-side to her, before smoothly bringing herself in front of the younger girl, and bowing as Michiru curtsied. As Michiru rose, so did Haruka, and she closed the distance between the two, placing her left hand in Michiru's at shoulder length and placing her left hand just behind Michiru's shoulder blades, her arms a little more firm than usual, almost as though Haruka was fighting to take the young violinist and bring her into a deep embrace.

_Quando sono sola  
sogno all'orizzonte  
e mancan le parole,  
si lo so che non c'è luce  
in una stanza quando manca il sole,  
se non ci sei tu con me, con me.  
Su le finestre  
mostra a tutti il mio cuore  
che hai accesso,  
chiudi dentro me  
la luce che  
hai incontrato per strada._

Haruka gently dipped Michiru's head back, and brought her up swiftly. She then took her into four consecutive twirls on the spot, before taking her into four more, while moving diagonally across the dance-floor. Michiru kept her eyes fixed on Haruka as much as possible. Haruka pushed Michiru gently forward, high on their toes, keeping level, giving the effect they were floating across the floor. Haruka decided to not fight with the smile that threatened to take over her face. And once Michiru saw the happiness in the other girls' eyes, she fought to keep her blush at bay too.

* * *

"Kou-san, is there something we should know about Tenoh-kun and our daughter?" Katsuo gazed over to Seiya who was watching the couple. Seiya smiled gently and nodded,

"Hai, Haruka-chan is in love with your daughter, sir." Katsuo stared at his daughter in shock for a moment, then he turned to his wife. She seemed to be frowning, but she looked up at Seiya.

"Haruka Tenoh is... a girl?" Seiya said nothing but nodded slowly. Asami looked at her daughter and saw the serene smile on her face. She had never seen her so happy. "And Michiru?" Seiya broke his gaze from the young couple dancing and turned to Michiru's parents.

"I believe that she is in love with Haruka-chan. They love each other very deeply." Nothing more needed to be said, and all three re-directed their eyes to Haruka and Michiru on the dance-floor, seemingly oblivious to everyone and everything except the person in their arms.

* * *

_Time to say goodbye. -- Con te partirò.  
Paesi che non ho mai  
veduto e vissuto con te,  
adesso sì li vivrò.  
Con te partirò  
su navi per mari  
che, io lo so,  
no, no, non esistono più,  
it's time to say goodbye. -- con te io li vivrò._

_  
_Haruka kept Michiru's hips connected with hers while Michiru's head was slightly outward, only adding to her natural grace and beauty. Haruka smirked and brought them to a second set of four still spins, followed by four floor spins, and as they finished their fourth, Haruka dipped Michiru back, bringing their bodies' parallel in a perfect dip.

_Time to say goodbye. -- Con te partirò.  
Paesi che non ho mai  
veduto e vissuto con te,  
adesso sì li vivrò.  
Con te partirò  
su navi per mari  
che, io lo so,  
no, no, non esistono più,_

* * *

"Sugoi. They look so perfect together. Don't you think so, Rei-koi?" Rei blushed at the use of 'koi' added to her name but when she looked at her girlfriend, who was staring at Michiru, with a glazed over look in her eyes, Rei instantly decided not to chide her. Instead, she held her hand and intertwined their fingers, and then slowly brought it to her mouth and kissed the back of Minako's hand gently. Minako blushed at the public display of affection that was rarely shown from her lover but instead of saying anything, she decided to lean into Rei for a gentle embrace and a sense of happiness and warmth the young blonde could only find in her Rei-chan. Upon seeing Rei and Minako, a young blue-haired genius smiled, wishing that she could be brave enough to show public affection with her other half. This thought didn't last long though, as the tall brunette next to her placed a gentle kiss on her cheek and wrapped an arm around the young Mizuno.

"M-Mako?" Makoto smirked at her lover and squeezed her shoulder affectionately.

"Ami, you don't need to say something for me to know what it is you want." Ami smiled gently at her lover. Taiki didn't need another second to think, and he found himself holding Setsuna's hand, a faint blush across his cheek. Setsuna settled into a loose embrace and smiled blissfully. All this was watched by their best friend; Usagi and her boyfriend Mamoru. The ditzy blonde looked up at him and Mamoru said nothing but placed a gentle kiss on Usagi's lips.

"I love you, Mamo-chan."

* * *

_Quando sei lontana  
sogno all'orizzonte  
e mancan le parole,  
e io si lo so  
che sei con me, con me,  
tu mia luna tu sei qui con me,  
mio sole tu sei qui con me,  
con me, con me, con me._

* * *

"The kids are all so sweet, don't you think darling?" Yumi spoke gently as she rested her head on her husband's shoulder and she took her gaze away from the Mugen students and placed them back on her daughter, who was dancing perfectly. There was nothing to criticise. Leon nodded to his wife.

"Yeah, love is a many splendored thing, koi." Leon smiled proudly at his daughter as they approached the mid-crescendo in their dance.

* * *

_Time to say goodbye. -- Con te partirò.  
Paesi che non ho mai  
veduto e vissuto con te,  
adesso sì li vivrò.  
Con te partirò  
su navi per mari  
che, io lo so,  
no, no, non esistono più,  
_

Haruka held Michiru in her arms as they stopped for a moment and looked into each other's eyes. Haruka held her close and then lead her around in the fastest spin in the waltz; usually you would get dizzy but today there was no chance of any feeling overwhelming, especially something as trivial as motion sickness. Michiru placed her hands on Haruka's shoulders as Haruka allowed her to dip backwards once more, then as she was brought up, she was just inches from Haruka's face, and found herself no longer longing for just the blonde physically, but in every other way you would want for your soul-mate. She needed to be this close always, emotional and physically. Michiru smiled inwardly, and she allowed herself to be led. She let go as Haruka guided her to follow with a close spin. Michiru knew that before when she first danced with the blonde she hadn't let go, she had only let her walls down, and now, she had let go. She trusted Haruka fully, to lead her, to protect her, to always be there for her. There were no more insecurities; only the remembrance of her foolhardy actions the night before. Michiru wouldn't wait one year for the racer; she would wait an eternity if it meant she could be with her Ruka again.

_con te io li rivivrò.  
Con te partirò  
su navi per mari  
che, io lo so,  
no, no, non esistono più,  
con te io li rivivrò.  
Con te partirò  
_  
_Io con te._

Haruka gently spun Michiru away from her and Michiru soon found herself lacking in the warmth, but it wasn't for long. Haruka strode over and placed her arms around the girls' midsection, embracing her from behind, and she snuck her hands onto Michiru's and gave her hands a warm squeeze before lifting them up above Michiru's head. The blonde slowly let her hands slide down the young violinists' arms, until they reached her shoulders. Then she turned Michiru around and held her tenderly in her arms. Neither noticed when the music stopped and nor did they care. All that mattered was this moment. Soon the applause came, and once the two broke from the spell they had created on one another they looked around and could see some astounded faces, some surprised for sure, and some definitely happy. Michiru turned around to see all of her and Haruka's friends smiling lovingly at them. Michiru's parents were even smiling too. Haruka turned to see her parents, who seemed to still be sitting, not applauding but looking at her with so much love in her eyes she could have cried. Haruka was about to turn away when she saw Leon mouth 'perfect' to her. Michiru could see Haruka blush and she turned to the blonde.

"I'm glad you came, Haruka." Haruka said nothing but continued to stare at her. They ignored everything once again, even the score that came up on the electronic display. Haruka decided to bite the bullet.

"I came back because I had to see you. I'm leaving the day after tomorrow, Michi, and I needed to spend every second I could with you. I couldn't waste a day and a half in Mie when I'd rather cherish a day and a half with you." Michiru found herself speechless. Haruka was leaving one week earlier... she wasn't sure what to do. Wait, she did. She knew exactly what she would do.

"I will wait for you, Haruka. I promise." Haruka burst into a large smile as she heard those words escape Michiru's mouth. She lifted the younger girl off of the floor in a sweep style lifting motion. As soon as she set the younger girl down, she noticed every set of eyes on her, and she instantly blushed. A melodic giggle was elicited from Michiru and Haruka raised an eyebrow at her. Before Haruka could speak, she found herself being lead away by Michiru from the dance-floor and straight out to the corridor just beside the room they had danced in. Haruka decided not to question the younger girl's actions, when they finally stopped walking about twenty yards from the room. Haruka took Michiru's hand gently in her own.

"Y'know, when I come back, you'll be the only person I'll really want to see, Michi." Haruka smiled gently and looked down to see Michiru, but the younger girl had her head hanging down slightly. The tomboy slowly brought her hand to the violinist's face and placed her fingers under Michiru's chin to lift her face ever so slightly. Haruka looked deep into Michiru's eyes.

"Twelve months is only a fraction of the lifetime we have ahead. Please Michi, don't cry." Michiru pushed herself slightly back from Haruka, still in her embrace but being able to look at Haruka fully.

"Ruka, please... it's hard enough. The next year isn't going to be easy so could you at least make this bit as easy as possible. Can we pretend that you're not going, and can we just spend tonight as a normal couple?" Michiru looked pleadingly up into the blonde's eyes as she searched for Haruka's answer. Haruka smiled gently and she nodded.

"Anything for you, Michi." Before Michiru could respond, she felt a pair of lips on hers. Lips she had been longing for. They were the lips of the woman in front of her. The lips of her lover. Michiru found herself closing her eyes and melting into the kiss. There was no lust behind it, there was no fighting for entry into each other's mouths, it was just a kiss as pure as the love they had for one another. It only lasted a few seconds but for all either teen knew it had lasted an eternity. Haruka pulled back first.

"I'm sorry, but I had to steal just one kiss. It's what normal couples do, right?" Michiru laughed gently and playfully hit Haruka's arm. Then there was a silence, and Haruka gently caressed her young lover's arm. Michiru shuddered at the contact.

"I love you, Haruka Tenoh." Haruka looked down at Michiru and their eyes locked again. Haruka searching Michiru's eyes out of habit for any malicious intent but finding none, and the blonde smiled in relief and she kissed her young love on the forehead.

"I love you too, Michiru Kaioh."_  
_

* * *

**A/N 2 -Yay right? Anyways if you made it this far, you know what you have got to do - R&R hombres! **

**The wicked ass song (which I unfortunately do not own) in this chapter was "Time to Say Goodbye (Con Te Partiro)" performed by the amazing Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli - if you don't know it, go and watch it on youtube... NOW!**

**Once again, nothing but love for Reusch17. And to all the reviewers who have come back time and time again (Akira-kun, Shiro, Swinging Cloud, Heven, Petiyaka, Trixxie, SilentKing, Helleberos, Katie, YingYangTwin1, Lita DeLacour, krugern, Merochu, RukaMichi92, Haruka-Michiru, Mantary, harucino antz2uyeah arsenal did win :P, Asakure, Pyunji, Thepillows93, freaky-icefairy, Salior Rain, impersonal, jadedlilgirl, Wicked Prince X, animeprincess74, Bomichan, xLostSoulx and aslias etcetera) - I thought y'all should know you're all loved! **

**Anyway, leave a note if you want the epilogue or not - I'm in two minds as to whether or not it belongs. Meh, it's up to you guys. Till then, take care - Karis.**


	15. Hey Epilogue

**A/N - FIRST OFF - immense amounts of love and smexx should be given by everyone to Reusch17 for proofreading this entire fic! (she went through pain reading it i tell ya!)...So ladies and gentlemen... here we have it. The very final chapter in this story. I just want to thank everyone who had reviewed and I hope that this final chapter brings ome finality to those who were not too happy with the previous chapter... on a brighter note... my laptop and has been repaired and rightfully brought back to me! So, without any further ado, here is your epilogue. Enjoy!**

* * *

**CHAPTER 15 – … HEY… (EPILOGUE)**

"How much longer until she's actually here, Setsuna-san?" Michiru paced around the apartment with her cell-phone glued to her ear while she nervously played with some of her hair.

"Calm down, Michiru-chan! If you are so anxious, you should have just ridden with us in the car!" Setsuna sounded a little agitated now; this was the twentieth time in fifteen minutes Michiru had called her asking if Haruka had entered the arrivals lounge yet. The aqua-haired beauty found herself shaking her head almost violently.

"No! I can't be there when she comes back! Because if I am, everyone will know that Haruka Tenoh has a girlfriend, and then it'd only be a matter of time before everyone found out that I'm Aiko Neptune, and then both our careers would be over!" Michiru raised her hands in the air exasperated, and then fell onto the couch behind her. She heard Setsuna giggle at the other end of the line.

"Michiru... she's here." And without another word, Setsuna hung up the phone. Michiru stared at her phone in disbelief for a few moments before she slowly set it down on the armrest on the couch. She looked up and saw the other silent occupants of the apartment staring at her in anticipation. Michiru stood up and looked at her parents, then at her friends from Mugen, and she smiled.

"She's here." Minako and Usagi instantly began hugging each other and babbling about how perfect it was that Haruka and Michiru would finally get to be together and how happy Haruka would be to have a coming home party.

"Everyone loves ice cream! And Mako-chan's cake! And karaoke!" Usagi began gushing about the night's plans. Rei scoffed loudly and hit Usagi on the head,

"Usagi-baka! Haruka-chan doesn't like karaoke! Well, not when you're singing!" Rei poked her tongue at Usagi who seemed on the verge of tears, but before any could escape, Mamoru came to the rescue. He held Usagi from behind and kissed her on the cheek, instantly drying any tears. Makoto giggled and caught Michiru's attention, to which the young violinist raised an eyebrow.

"Mako-chan, what is it?" Makoto said nothing at first but travelled around the apartment slowly, letting her hand glide gently over everything; the sofa, the window pane, the coffee table, the TV.

"Haruka will love what you've done with the place, Michiru-chan." Michiru smiled gratefully. She had been so worried about the apartment and how to decorate it, as she had been given carte blanche by the tomboy to do as she saw fit for the place.

* * *

_Straight after their declaration of love to each other, Haruka had taken Michiru to the parking lot and to the Honda concept, and suggested that they lie on the hood of the car and stare at the stars for a while. So there they were; Michiru was lying on Haruka's side, with the blonde's tuxedo jacket draped over her to protect her from the winter cold._

"_I can't believe we got penalised for using non-ballroom steps!" Haruka was still in disbelief over the 38 out of 40 she had found out they'd been rewarded. Michiru playfully slapped her arm once more._

"_Ruka, I can't believe you're thinking about points! Does it matter?" Haruka looked down at her love and shook her head. She sat up slowly, causing the younger girl to sit up too._

"_No, it doesn't... Michi, can I ask you something?" Michiru raised one eyebrow and ran one hand lovingly through short blonde hair, and spoke teasingly._

"_I already said I'd wait, Ruka." Haruka could feel a blush rise to her face but she didn't bother hiding it… after all she was with the girl she loved. Haruka took Michiru's other hand and kissed it gently._

"_After Fuji Speedway... I got a pretty big cheque; enough to buy a place of my own. I gave it to my manager and asked him to buy an apartment for me in Tokyo for when I return and he did. It's a great place. I won't have time to move any of my stuff into it that I'm not taking with m, but I was wondering if you would do it for me." Michiru laughed gently._

"_You want me to move your stuff in for you? Lazy Ruka." Haruka smiled gently and still didn't take her eyes off of Michiru._

"_Yeah... and there won't be much stuff, so it'll be a little sparse... so I was thinking... that maybe you could move your stuff in too." Haruka waited for a reaction from Michiru, who at first was completely paralyzed. Haruka had an apartment? Okay, yeah she had heard that. Haruka wanted me to move her stuff in. Yeah, heard that too... and she wanted me to move my stuff in? Oh God._

"_You want me to move my stuff in?" Haruka simply nodded, a small, nervous smile gracing her handsome features, "Because you want me to move into an apartment with you?" Haruka said nothing but she reached into her pockets, where her car keys where and pulled out a small bronze key._

"_I didn't think tonight would go this way at all, so this is really kinda spur-of-the-moment, but I really hope you'll say yes, Michi." Haruka waited in the silence as Michiru stared at the key in her girlfriends' hand. Without a further second, Michiru squealed and threw her arms around Haruka._

"_I would love to move in with you, Haruka!" The two smiled and hugged tightly. Neither thought the night could get more perfect._

* * *

"I hope so, Mako-chan. Although the apartment is the least of my problems." Michiru spared a glance over to her parents as she said that. They were now on the couch, looking around as the teens all rushed around, getting food and drinks ready, as well as balloons and banners at the last minute for Haruka's return. Makoto laughed as Michiru looked back from her parents and she seemed a little embarrassed.

"Oh man! Do you remember when we moved your stuff in?! Michiru-chan, I could not stop laughing! I can't believe your parents were so obvious!" Makoto began chuckling gently to herself while Michiru smiled gently, looking away from her parents as she remembered the day she moved in.

* * *

_Michiru was sitting in the new apartment, glancing around her surroundings. It was January 3__rd__ and Haruka had left Tokyo 8 days ago to train in Australia for her first F1 appearance. Michiru was being helped by Leon, Yumi, Hachi, Setsuna, Hotaru, Makoto and her own parents with moving her things and Haruka's into the new apartment. It was located in Seijyo Gakuen Mae, just by the Odakyu line and several other promising rising stars lived close by. It had two bedrooms, an en-suite bathroom as well as a large one for common use, a living room that was joined with the lounge, an office and an eat-in kitchen of quite a spacious size – it nearly made Makoto jealous. It also had a 24 hour, resident access, to the fully-equipped gym and swimming pool at the top. Michiru put down the final box of Haruka's belongings in the living room and she wiped her brow. Katsuo came in shortly after with Asami and Yumi not far behind, each carrying a box of Michiru's belongings. After a few more moments, Leon came in carrying a few boxes with Hachi._

"_Is that all of them, koi?" Yumi wiped Leon's brow with a handkerchief as she spoke softly to him. He nodded his head slowly._

"_All that's left is that gigantic piano that Hachi thought would make an ideal gift... for an apartment... on the 26__th__ floor." Hachi smiled sheepishly as Leon shot him a glare._

"_Hehe, I totally thought you said the sixth floor, Leon!" Yumi rolled her eyes and stroked Leon's hair gently._

"_No worries love, we can use the goods elevator. It's only a baby grand, it'll fit. Now then, Michiru-chan, where are we putting all of these things?" Michiru looked at the boxes. They contained Haruka's trophies and her personal belongings._

"_I think that belongs in the office, though Haruka may call it a trophy room." Yumi laughed gently and moved those boxes aside. Asami picked up a box of Michiru's clothes,_

"_Which room is yours again, Michi? We'll put your clothes in there." _

"_Just put it in the master bedroom, okaa-san." Asami nearly dropped the box on her own foot, which caused her to jump back and everyone to look at her questioningly._

"_The m-master bedroom? Um... isn't that Haruka-san's room though, Michi?" Michiru found herself rolling her eyes. _

"_No, okaa-san, it isn't Haruka's room." Asami breathed a sigh of relief and picked up the box of clothing again, but Michiru wasn't done speaking, "It's mine and Haruka's room." Once again the box landed on the floor with a dull thud. Michiru had been expecting this, and it seems she wasn't the only one. Yumi looked at Asami questioningly._

"_Is everything alright, Kaioh-san?" Yumi's sweet voice pierced the silence and Asami looked at her husband who seemed equally as troubled. She turned to slowly faced Yumi again._

"_I think... that my husband and I have concerns, Tenoh-san. About our daughters' living arrangements. There's nothing wrong with them in the same apartment, but the same room? They've barely known each other three months and now they're moving in together like lovers?" Yumi unfolded her arms and still she managed to speak sweetly._

"_They are lovers, Kaioh-san. I know there may be issues about time but remember that Haru-chan is not due back for one year. There is plenty of time for them to get to know one another." Asami smiled politely, but still remained unwavering in her actions._

"_But still, don't you think that living together would be... too much, too soon? Wouldn't separate bedrooms be best? Just until they sort themselves out properly, I mean."_

"_Okaa-san, this is my decision, and I know what it is you're trying to tiptoe around, and yes, when Haruka comes back we will be sharing a room and a bed together because when Haruka comes back, we will be partners! It's only natural that we'll be... intimate." Michiru could feel her cheeks flush as she said that last word. There was utter silence in the room, except for Makoto, who was leaning on Hachi and laughing loudly. Hachi wiped his eyes with glee,_

"_Hai! Y'all need to calm down! I mean sure they can have their stuff in separate rooms, but they'll still end up in the same bed together!" Leon glared at his best friend, while Michiru and Yumi yelled at him._

"_Hachi! You are not helping!"_

* * *

"Yes, I can see how YOU would find that amusing, Mako." Makoto laughed once more, and looked around the room… it was all ready. And if Haruka was at the airport five minutes ago, she should be there within the next thirty minutes. Michiru wiped her hands together, but they seemed to be glistening with sweat. Why was she so nervous? She knew that Haruka couldn't wait to see her and she couldn't wait to see her in their new home... together.

"Um, excuse me, Mako-chan." Michiru quickly ran from the living room and into the bedroom she had been living in for the past 11 and a half months…the bedroom she would soon be sharing with her Ruka. Michiru was careful to lock the door behind her and she made her way over to the bed, and knelt beside it. She lifted up the sheets and from underneath the bed she pulled out an A4 sized black book, with no markings or title on it. It was all a part of the contact they agreed to have with each other.

They had agreed on one phone call a month; they needed to make it a painless year with as little contact as possible – more for Haruka's fear of being homesick and getting a plane home to be with her Michi. But they had agreed during one phone call, that Michiru and Haruka would both keep a secret diary, documenting all their emotions and feelings. It had to include any thought that the other was in, and Michiru was a little embarrassed; in hers, aside from the loose pages of original compositions and some drawings of Haruka, it was empty. What would Haruka think? Would she think that Michiru hadn't thought of her once? That she couldn't be bothered to fill it in? The truth of it was that Michiru felt that the love she felt for Haruka couldn't be expressed properly in words or drawings. It was a deeper, more meaningful love than that. Sighing, Michiru laid on the bed, the book clutched in her hands. She closed her eyes and thought deeply of her love. She pictured short, blonde hair, green eyes, handsome features, and a body that... well, that she had never touched before. Michiru blushed at this thought, and looked over at the room.

_**The blank pages of my diary,  
That I haven't touched since you left me,  
The closed blinds in my home,  
See no light or day,  
Dust gathers on my stereo,  
Cause I can't bear to hear the radio,  
The piano sits in a shaded space,  
With a picture of your face,**_

For a moment, Michiru thought she was losing her mind when she heard the song, but she realised it was coming from the sound system outside. Ah, the girls had finally figured out how to set up the speakers it seemed. And Michiru heard them arguing over what music to play when they knew Haruka was near, but for now they decided to play whatever was on the radio while they were all scurrying around and getting the last minute preparations ready.

_**  
I'm scared to face another day,  
'Cos the fear in me just won't go away,  
In an instance,  
You were gone,  
And now I'm scared...  
**_

What if Haruka has changed her mind? What if she met someone while racing and was only coming back to keep her promise? What if that was the reason behind the one phone call a month? What if she... what if she doesn't love me? These questions were all plaguing Michiru's mind. Oh god, this insecurity was killing her; she had no reason to believe Haruka had found anyone else. If her Ruka had, then surely it would have been in every gossip magazine from here to Paris!

_**  
Coffee stains on your favourite book,  
Remind me of you so I can't take a look,  
The magazines you left on the floor,  
You won't need them anymore,  
A towel left hanging on the wall,  
No sign of wet footsteps in the hall,  
There's no smell of your sweet cologne,  
I'm lying here alone,  
**_

What would happen when Haruka came home tonight? Sure they would have dinner with all their friends and family, and after they finally got rid of the last guest, they would be left alone in their apartment. Michiru knew she could trust the tomboy, but still Haruka had needs like every other person. And even though they've been an item for one year they had only really been together for a few days. Would Haruka come back tonight and see that they would be sharing the same bed? And if she saw that would she... expect anything? Michiru had thought about this before but then she had the idea in her mind that Haruka would never make her do anything if she just wasn't ready. Sure, they knew they were in love, but that was emotionally, anything physical surely needed more time to blossom right? ... But a year is a very long time, reasoned Michiru.

_**  
I'm scared to face another day,  
'Cos the fear in me just won't go away,  
In an instance,  
You were gone,  
And now I'm scared...  
**_

Michiru looked at the book in front of her. She knew it should contain sweet words, at least a poem perhaps of how she should feel. What would Haruka have? Michiru knew Haruka was more the sort of person who would rather buy flowers than write something down, so now Michiru wondered about Haruka's diary – God, did she even remember she had said it? Michiru didn't have another moment to think – the doorbell rang at that exact moment. Sparing a quick look to the bedside clock, she saw she had been in there for almost thirty minutes. Oh My God. It had to be Haruka.

_**  
I'm scared to face another day,  
Coz' the fear in me just won't go away,  
In an instance,  
You were gone,  
And now I'm scared...  
**_

Michiru kept the book in her arms as she approached the bedroom door. She took three deep breaths before she found the courage to unlock the door. She slowly opened the door and looked out into the lounge. She was instantly greeted with the sight of Haruka, smiling as she saw her.

_**  
In an instance you were gone,  
I'm scared...**_

"Haruka." The blonde dropped her suitcase and ran to Michiru, holding her tightly. Everyone around them cheered as the two were finally reunited. Haruka put her face into Michiru's hair and inhaled her scent…instantly she felt complete.

"I missed you so much, Michi." It was barely a whisper, and Michiru only just heard it, but she couldn't stop herself from smiling.

"I missed you too, Ruka." Haruka pulled back and looked deep into the eyes of the girl she was madly in love with. Soon, the distance was closing between them.

"Ahem! I don't think that's appropriate in front of company, Michiru." Asami! Haruka had a feeling that woman would be the end of her! Haruka pulled back regretfully and she could see the same regret in Michiru's eyes. Haruka smiled gently.

* * *

Asami and Katsuo managed to keep Haruka and Michiru at arms' length from each other for the duration of the long welcome back party. Both teens were getting agitated, but the look Asami gave both girls' every time their gaze lingered too long was enough to make them hang their heads in shame. Right now, for both it was not an issue of making out or constantly touching each other, it was being back in the safe embrace of the person they loved and were loved by. But coming to their rescue was Ami who spoke to the group, at about 11pm.

"We really should get going, it's late. It was great seeing you Haruka-san and congratulations again on your rookie year championship win." Haruka smiled and escorted Ami who left with Makoto, Minako, Rei, Yaten, Taiki, Seiya (who had been very polite, quiet and generally not very Seiya like all evening), Elza, Usagi and Mamoru out.

"I'm glad to see that they're all together still. Although someone needs to open Seiya-kun's eyes to Elza-chan… bless him, boys are so dense." Yumi smiled sweetly to Leon as she said that. Before Leon could respond though, Yumi stood as did Setsuna, Hotaru and Asami. All four went to the kitchen to begin cleaning. Leon grinned widely.

"Yeah… sometimes, some people are just meant to be! I mean just look at me and your mother… a more perfect couple the world has never seen, ne, Haru-chan?!" A clear scoff could be heard from the kitchen – whether it was Asami or not, Haruka couldn't tell. The blonde spared a glance at her watch and Leon saw this. He raised his eyebrow and nudged Hachi, who looked over at Haruka and saw that she was staring at her watch. Hachi yawned very loudly, gaining the attention of everyone in the living room and even the women in the kitchen.

"Man, I am beat, and I gotta go to the club and sort stuff out early tomorrow! Whoo! Who can give me a ride to Paixao?" Leon grinned and winked to Yumi who seemed confused but watched her husband and best friend play out their little act.

"Hachi, I'll take you. Setsuna can drive Hotaru-chan back in her car… ne, Kaioh-san, I'll give you guys a ride too. You got a cab here right? Well Hachi's club isn't far from your house." Katsuo smiled thankfully.

"Oh, that'd be great, Tenoh-san. Arigatou." Asami looked around the room.

"So, we'd be leaving now?" Leon nodded, and Hachi grinned widely as he then spoke.

"Yeah, there's no reason for us to be here any longer… plus I'm sure the girls would just LOVE some time alone to catch up, or exchange Christmas presents… OR make out and do whatever it is two young people in love do nowadays."

"HACHI!" Haruka, Yumi and Michiru all shouted, but it seemed to not affect him. He just laughed with Leon. Asami seemed very reluctant to leave and she turned to Michiru.

"Michi… maybe for tonight you could stay with us? At home?" Michiru shook her head instantly.

"Okaa-san, THIS is my home now. And I'm staying here tonight." Asami tried to look for an excuse but she found herself and her husband being gestured to stand up by Hachi and Leon who had grabbed their coats and thrown them onto their laps.

"Come on! We've all been young once! Christmas is a very special time for young people in love! They want to spend time together… they want to kiss! They – OW!" Leon was interrupted by Yumi dragging him to the door by his ear.

"Leon, darling… shut up." Leon whined like a baby. He got to the door and was joined by everyone else.

"But Yumi! If we say it now, it's less shocking for everyone! You'd have to be an idiot to think that tonight, the second this door is closed that these two won't leap on each other and - MPPHMPPH." Haruka managed to just throw her hand over her father's mouth in time. She decided to get the message across she'd have to speak in English.

"Dad… for the love of God and for my sanity… Please, PLEASE, be quiet." Leon smiled sheepishly and nodded.

"Sure thing… now behave you two, and don't do anything I wouldn't do." He winked at Haruka as he escorted everyone out of the house, especially Asami who tried to cling onto the door frame as a last minute attempt to stay with her daughter. Haruka closed the door and waited a moment before turning around to Michiru who was standing a few feet behind her.

"Hey." Haruka was suddenly breathless and at a loss as to what she should say. Here she was… after 12 long months, she was back in Tokyo. She was in her new apartment, with the woman she loved… and she had no idea what to do or say.

"How was your flight?" Haruka smirked at Michiru's question – it seemed Haruka wasn't the only one at a loss.

"It was okay… completely exhausting though. Three hours checking in, customs, autographs then a nice long thirty two hour flight – remind me to take a direct, Japanese airline next time!" Haruka laughed gently and Michiru approached her, taking her hand gently in her own. She was blushing quite hard and she decided to concentrate her eyes on her lovers' hand.

"You must be tired then." Haruka nodded but said nothing. Michiru smiled gently, while still fighting with her blushing face. "Then perhaps we should go to bed." Haruka instantly froze on the spot. Oh God, why was she thinking like this all of a sudden? Okay, it wasn't all of a sudden, she had thought about Michiru all the time the past twelve months. She had thought about her smile, her laugh, her hair… and on some lonelier nights - after women had been throwing themselves at her at F1 after-parties and Haruka had to turn them all down as none compared to her Michi – she would find herself thinking about more intimate things that involved herself and her Michi. Makoto had teased her earlier in the night about how out of the two bedrooms, Michiru had stayed in the master bedroom all year… with all of Haruka's stuff in the room – it seemed that Michiru had every intention of sharing a room with Haruka from now on. 'Oh my God', Haruka had a bad feeling that Michiru felt pressured because Haruka asked her to live here with her. The last thing Haruka wanted Michiru to think was that she wanted THAT the second she came home.

"Erm, I can stay on the sofa tonight… We don't have to do that. I mean, share the bed, not THAT that, I mean… oh crap. I sound like a baka." Michiru giggled gently at the flustering Haruka. Before either could say anything the house phone rang. At first, they made a move to it, but decided to leave it as they didn't want to talk to anyone. A few seconds later, the answer-phone picked it up… and Leon could be heard speaking.

"Yo, Haru-chan! Hachi forgot to tell you, but tomorrow he's throwing a party for the F1 champ at Paixao, so make sure you're there… y'know, if you're not too exhausted tonight! Haha – OW! Yumi, what gives-" The phone was cut out and Michiru looked at Haruka who seemed to be in a state of shock.

"I am going to kill him when I see him." Michiru rested her hand on Haruka's shoulder and leant up to her, kissing her gently on the lips. It was another short kiss, but Michiru smiled as she pulled back a little and spoke into Haruka's ear.

"Let's go to bed, Ruka." It would have been fair to say that Haruka did not need to be told once more. She silently followed Michiru into their bedroom and saw it had been decorated in a rich red, with a large queen size bed in the middle, and plenty of photos around the room; undoubtedly to keep Michiru's spirits up in Haruka's absence.

Michiru closed the door silently behind her and approached Haruka. She didn't say a word, but instead she wrapped her arms around the tomboy's neck and kissed her. At first softly, but Haruka couldn't take it anymore. She wrapped her arms around Michiru, and she opened her mouth slightly, and Michiru took complete advantage. She threw her tongue instantly into the tomboy's mouth and devoured every single part of her mouth with a ferocious intensity that took Haruka by surprise. After a few seconds they parted and looked deep into each other's eyes. Suddenly, the entire direction of the thoughts had turned to this – to be with their lover, in the only way you can be with you lover; in mind, body and spirit. Neither said a word again and instead Michiru simply nodded to Haruka, who gulped nervously.

Haruka realised she was shaking as her hands made their way to Michiru's blouse. And as she undid every button, she could feel her breath catch in her throat. Michiru smiled gently and her hand gently caressed Haruka's cheek. The blonde closed her eyes and enjoyed the younger girl's touch. A few moments later found Michiru standing in front of Haruka without her shirt on. Haruka gently kissed Michiru's neck and felt the softness of the skin she loved so much.

Michiru had never been so sure of anyone in her life. She didn't care if she had only really been with Haruka for a two days total in their relationship; they had been together for a year in her mind and right now… the subtle pleasure her body was indulging in was being provided by the only one who she was convinced could ever provide her with as much love. Michiru could tell that Haruka was as nervous as she was, – one thing Michiru had never asked was how intimate she had ever been with Keiko, but she didn't care… right now she wanted Haruka in every way you would ever want a lover. She wanted Haruka to be her first… and last. So that was why Michiru ignored all her earlier doubt and went ahead with what she wanted; And she wanted the blonde before her in every way. Michiru had never desired, wanted and needed like she did right now. It felt good, and it felt right. Haruka was right. Somehow, amidst the kissing that Haruka was now administering to the younger girl's collarbone, Michiru managed to find the ability to speak as she looked at her lover, who was looking sexier than ever as primal instinct took over both of them, notably more-so in the tomboy.

"Haruka... please…" Michiru needed to say no more. With one devilish smirk and a happiness like she had never known, Haruka set to making sure only one thing happened that night. That she made Michiru happier than ever. And Michiru in turn, had the exact same plan in store for her lover.

* * *

The next morning, Haruka woke up first with her chest to Michiru's naked back and her arms snugly around the younger girl's waist. The gentle twilight of Tokyo entered their bedroom through the small sliver that the curtains allowed. Haruka looked over to her lover and saw she was basked in the morning light. Michiru was still fast asleep. Haruka smiled to herself. She thought she was the luckiest person in the world. She leaned forward a little and kissed Michiru lightly on the forehead, careful not to wake her up. A small smile formed on Michiru's face… now Haruka knew she definitely would only ever wake up feeling complete and satisfied as long as Michiru was there beside her. God, Haruka loved this girl so much, and she was pretty damned sure that this girl loved her just as deeply. Michiru stirred slightly, and opened one eye, looking at her blonde lover. She blushed a bit, but then looked Haruka deep in her eyes. Michiru leaned up to her and kissed Haruka gently. Once more silence engulfed them, but it was such a comfortable silence, neither minded it. After a few moments, Haruka kissed Michiru's forehead and lovingly placed her hand on the younger's girl's fine cheekbones.

"Remind me to never leave you again, Michiru."

* * *

**A/N 2 - Yo. So there you have it! I hope you enjoyed it all as much as I did... The song in bold italics was "I'm Scared" by Duffy. If you don't know it, download it now! If you made it this far, review... So I can see your thoughts on the ending of it all. Ja ne, Karis!**


End file.
